


Falling Together

by heartfeltword



Series: Falling Together [1]
Category: Gravity Falls
Genre: Action/Adventure, Blood and Gore, Crossover, F/M, M/M, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Past Abuse, Past Sexual Abuse, Sexual Content, Slow Burn, Suspense, interdimensional twins au, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-07
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-05-31 22:19:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 22
Words: 73,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6489562
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heartfeltword/pseuds/heartfeltword
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stanley and Stanford fell through the portal together and got lost within the multiverse. After a decade wandering from dimension to dimension, Stan thought he had everything pretty much figured out until a new problem literally fell into his life. Now he has an extra person to protect from all the dangers of the multiverse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea swimming in my head for a while and finally decided to sit down and write it. It's based on the idea that Ford and Stan went through the portal together (pretty sure that's the inter-dimensional twins au but if I'm wrong please let me know. I also don't remember who started the au so if you do please let me know.)
> 
> I will add at the beginning if there are any trigger warnings for the chapter. This has a very brief mention of suicide but that's about it.
> 
> Enjoy~

“How much farther?” Stanley Pines groaned as he climbed up a hill with his twin just ahead of him. Stanford glanced around before glaring back at Stan.

“I don’t know, Stanley. Remember there is no telling where the rift will be.”

Stan groaned and continued to climb. The two had been lost in a stupid crag for a few days now. The place was pretty much barren with large rocks that just shot out of the ground and a little moss that covered the whole place. There wasn’t a tree in sight and it had been a solid 8 hours since Stan last saw a sign of life that wasn’t him or his nerdy brother. While he doubted they’d be stuck here forever it was just getting obnoxious. There was nothing to see besides muted greys and greens for as far as the eye could see. Where were all the hot babes? At least it wasn’t as bad as the last dimension they had been in with the scorching heat of two suns and a vast black desert that sucked up the heat and made Stan’s feet burn through his boots. So maybe this place wasn’t  _ that _ awful.

“Ah!” Ford gasped and scurried up the hill. Stan scrambled after him, trying to keep up and not lose his twin again.

“Whatcha find?” Stan asked as they reached the top of the hill that had leveled off almost into a plateau. He knew the answer before Ford spoke, rather he saw the answer, hovering a few inches off the ground was the rift. It glittered and warped the landscape behind it. It wasn’t fully formed yet. It flickered in and out of existence. Finally they found a rift. Stan breathed a sigh of relief. Rifts were like doorways between the different dimensions, they appeared and disappeared without much warning, finding one was all about being in the right place at the right time. Thankfully they had a little luck on their side with Ford’s watch that detected the presence of different rifts but only gave a general idea of where the rifts were. Some, mainly the wealthy or incredibly criminal, had devices that could create portals to any dimension the user wanted to but the Pines twins didn’t have one, they were lucky enough to own a watch. They both knew how much of a pain in the ass it was to fumble through a dimension aimlessly trying to find a way out, though it had been years since they’d been stuck like that. Stan didn’t want to go back to those days ever again.

“It shouldn’t be much longer.” Ford stated as he got closer to the rift. He glanced down at a watch on his wrist and tapped it a few times. “Few hours at most.”

“Sweet.” Stan said before he dropped the large backpack from his shoulders onto the ground. He dropped heavily onto a smooth rock and let out a loud groan. “I am gonna take a break right here.” Stan adjusted his backpack and leaned back into it trying to get as comfortable as possible. “Where do ya think it’ll lead?” The younger twin asked as he stared up at the pale blue sky. 

“You know as well as I do that there’s no way to tell that.”

“For us anyways.” Stan added.

“Yes.”

“Shoulda let me steal that gun when we had the chance, Sixer.”

“What? And be wanted all across the multiverse?” Ford sat beside his twin, his knee pressing against Stan’s, and gave him a pointed look. “We’re wanted in enough dimensions as it is.”

“Yea, but at least we’d be able to go home.” Stan’s voice sounded sad. They’d been away from their home for so long now Stan wasn’t sure if he’d ever get to see Glass Shard Beach again. And he knew it had been a long time because he actually  _ wanted _ to go back to that shithole. Instead they’d been bouncing between dimensions for about a decade, at least they were together again. Neither spoke for a while, it was a comfortable silence though, they’ve had plenty of time to fight and argue and shove one another around until all their anger had burned away. Now they were just two sad, lost old men stuck far away from home.

Ford had dug out a journal from one of his pockets and was busy writing. Stan was used to it but when he glanced at the journal he was surprised that Ford was drawing the scenery instead of writing some weird science shit. A smile pulled at Stan’s lips. Ford had always been a good artist while Stan somehow made stick figures look awful. Stan watched his brother work in silence, watching how his brother adjusted the pressure of his pencil and how he went from long, slow lines to quick, short ones. His observation skills were impressive. Ford could have been an artist if he wanted to, instead he went off to college and had like a million degrees or PhD’s or whatever. Stan was still grumpy about all that but it no longer made his blood boil and want to clock his twin in the nose again.

“Ya ever wonder what we’d be doin’ right now if we weren’t here?” Stan asked for no particular reason. It was something that always flickered through his mind when he was bored. What would he be doing on Earth if he was there? Where would be be? Would he have accomplished anything? Made a name for himself? Would he and Ford be together?

Ford sighed, “I don’t know. It doesn’t matter Stanley.”

“Indulge me.” Stan pressed.

“I’d probably still be in Gravity Falls. There was still a lot of unsolved mysteries there.”

“You wouldn’t have gone on a boat with me around the world?” Stan asked. Ford shrugged. That hurt Stan. Stan had spent so long bitter and angry about that stupid science fair mistake and he had finally thought he had cleared the air about that mess and maybe, just maybe, his brother would go on the adventure of a lifetime sailing around with him. Instead they were stuck in space or time or something and Ford still wasn’t sure if he’d want to go on a boat trip with him.

“There’s no point in thinking about it.” Ford mumbled to his sketchbook. “Chances of us getting home are close to nothing and besides, we’re old men Stanley, we’re not exactly ready to go out to sea.”

Stan blew a raspberry. “We’re not that old, Poindexter. We haven’t even hit 50 yet. ‘Sides, we’re fit as hell, ‘specially you.” Stan nudged his twin and waggled his eyebrows a little. Running and having to fight to survive had honed both their bodies though Stan was still the stronger of the twins Ford could definitely out maneuver his younger sibling. “We could run a boat no problem. Betcha we could still do it when we’re really old and wrinkly too.”

Ford rolled his eyes and grew quiet as his drawing started to take on more definite shapes. He carved out details in the nearby rock and found the highlights and shadows around him. Stan bit his lip wondering if he should have just kept his mouth shut because even after all this time Ford still didn’t like talking about what ifs and what happened. Ford was trying to live in the present and figure a way to keep the two safe. Stan wasn’t sure why he kept trying to bring the topic up but it seemed to be a fairly common thing. He’d ask what Ford had done after Stan was kicked out, he’d ask what Ford would have done if Stan hadn’t shown up (or hadn’t shown up as quickly because Stan dropped everything and went to Oregon as fast as he could), he’d ask too many questions until Ford would grow agitated and snap at him. It didn’t matter. None of it mattered. They were here now. They were together and there were still things they couldn’t just talk out or even fight out. That’s how it was.

As Ford started to add the finishing touches to the sketch, signing his name in the corner, the rift behind them made a noise. It sounded like someone breaking ice under their feet, a low crackle and a groan. Ford jumped to his feet and looked to the rift. That noise was a tell-tale sign that the rift was becoming more stable and that the twins would be able to go through it pretty soon. While Stan had pretty much lost hope that these random rifts would eventually bring him home he was still a bit excited about traveling through the rift. The rush of adrenaline as he tumbled through dimensions made him short of breath. It was addicting. He wanted to jump into it right now but he knew it wouldn’t be a good idea. He would either be spit back out in this dimension or he’d be torn apart and lost, neither were worth the risk. So he waited, watching the rift grow stronger. The ripples grew larger until it seemed like someone had hung a sheer curtain in front of Stan’s face that warped everything in sight. Stan felt his breath grow heavy as he watched the ripples. He wanted so badly to feel that rush, he needed it, he craved it. It made him feel so alive and better than any high he’d ever been on. He was growing impatient as the rift glittered and sparkled brighter and brighter just teasing the man.

“It won’t be long now.” Ford breathed.

Stan grabbed a rock from beside him as he stood up. It was common amongst everyone who traveled through the rifts to toss a rock or a small object through the portal to test it. If after a few minutes the rock returned it wasn’t safe. If it disappeared well, it was a 50-50 chance it was safe and was usually worth the risk in the few minutes that passed waiting for an outcome. He readied to throw the rock through the rift when everything changed. A scream startled Stan, he stumbled backwards away from the rift. Something flew out of the rift. Something much larger than a rock. It flew straight into Stan and he collapsed onto the jagged rocks with a heavy weight on top of him. All the air in his lungs was pushed out and he groaned loudly and let his head drop back onto the rough rocks that were digging into his body. God everything hurt. He was too old for this shit. His mind reeled trying to figure out what the fuck just happened as his body screamed at him in pain.

“Who are you?” Ford’s voice was slow and deadly.  It sent a shiver straight down Stan’s spine that brought him back to reality. Something was on top of him. Some _ one _ was on top of him. Stan picked his head up and looked at the heap of pale flesh and clothes on top of him. It let out a moan before it lifted its head. Grey eyes met Stan’s brown ones. They were wild with fear and panic. Stan forced himself to take in more information than just the intense grey eyes and found himself staring at a young woman… a young human. Short, fluffy brown hair surrounded a soft face, freckles dotted across her cheeks and little button nose. She couldn’t have been much older than 25 as she scrambled away from Stan.

“Where am I?” She was out of breath, her eyes darting around the landscape. Her fingers dug into the rocks around her, trying to find something,  _ anything _ , to protect herself. “Where am I? Who are you?”

“We could ask the same question, toots.” Stan grunted as he sat up and rubbed his back where a particularly rough rock had dug into his skin. The girl was close to hyperventilating as she looked around her. The rift let out a loud crack and the glimmer was gone. They’d missed their chance.

“Fuck.” Ford uncharacteristically swore as he went to the spot where the rift was. Gone.

“W-wha…” The girl gasped for breath, her hand closed tightly around a jagged rock as she looked between the two men. “Where….”

“Just breathe.” Stan grunted while he continued to rub his back. Right in that one spot that had been bothering him for weeks now, of course. “Yer ok, toots.”

The girl sucked in a deep breath and exhaled slowly. It seemed to calm her down, her breathing returned to something a little more normal. Ford knelt beside Stan and helped him get back to his feet. “Who are you?” She blurted out, “Where am I? Am I dead? I just remember falling and now…” She trailed off as she looked out over the crag. “I’m dead. I died. This is what death looks like.”

“You’re not dead.” Ford went to her side next while Stan stretched his back out. “Where were you before you fell?” He looked her over seeing if there were any injuries he needed to treat. Nothing besides a few scrapes and scratches.

“I was on a cliff. I was looking out over the ocean.” Her eyes got a little distant as she spoke. “I wanted to see if the fish were running or not… and there was this gust of wind and it knocked me off balance. I stepped on a loose rock and fell off the cliff. But there was this weird glittery light. And I fell into it… and now I’m here.” She looked up at Ford, her eyes starting to get wet with tears. “I’m not in Maine anymore am I?”

“Maine?” Ford’s eyebrows furrowed together. “The United States? Oh God, Stan, she’s from our dimension.”

“Yea no shit Sherlock.” Stan muttered. “But the rift closed so we’re stuck here for a while longer.” The girl looked so confused and frightened. “‘Sides, I’m not sure I’d wanna jump through a rift and fall off a cliff into the ocean.”

“It would have killed me.” She whispered. Her eyes lifted and she met Stan’s look. “You broke my fall.”

“And you broke my back.” Stan informed her. While he doubted it was actually broken he would be lying if he said his back wasn’t causing him intense pain.

“Who are you?” She looked to Ford. “What do you mean by dimensions? And rifts?”

Ford and Stan glanced at one another. Stan shrugged and sat back down on a nearby rock. Ford sat beside him and the girl hesitantly followed, sitting a few feet away with her arms wrapped around her legs. Ford let out a sigh and started to tell their story. He informed her they were twins and he had made an interdimensional portal that failed and ended up getting both of them sucked in. He sugar coated how the twins had fought and activated the portal as they threw one another around Ford’s lab. He told her about the rifts and the possibly limitless dimensions and how for the past decade the twins had been hopping between dimensions trying to find some place nice to settle down since going home was a pointless dream.

While Ford told the story Stan watched the girl. Her face fell, her shoulders slumped, she gripped her legs so tight her knuckles turned white. He knew that look. She’d lost all hope and realized she’d be better off dead. Stan saw it in himself and his twin when they first arrived. Her eyes swelled with tears and Stan was impressed she managed to bite them back until the end of Ford’s story when they started to fall silently down her cheeks.

“So,” Ford whispered, the air filled with sadness, “we’re all stuck here but it’s not so bad. Some dimensions are actually quite nice.” The words didn’t comfort her as the tears continued to fall down her face.

“Hey, toots,” Stan leaned forward to set a hand on her knee. She mumbled something into her knee that Stan didn’t hear. “What was that?”

She lifted her head and looked at Stan with those sad eyes and whispered, “My name is Emily…”

“Well, it’s nice to meet you Emily.” Stan tried his best to smile at her but she just set her head on her knees. “What now?” He asked more to his twin than the crying girl in front of him.

“I uh, don’t know.” Ford looked to where the rift was and then down to his watch. “Looks like there’s another rift but it’s faint and it’s pretty far away.”

“By the time we get to it though…” Stan trailed off as he pulled himself to his feet. His back still ached but he wasn’t going to stop. He slung his backpack over his shoulder and looked between Ford and Emily. “Coming?”

Ford looked up and shrugged before he stood and grabbed his own pack. They stared at Emily who looked back up at them. “W-wha…”

“We’re not just gonna leave you here.” Stan said holding his hand out to her. He caught the deathly glare Ford shot him. The two had always said traveling alone was the way to go but Stan couldn’t just leave this girl here. Besides, in his mind, it meant an extra set of hands to carry materials and hunt for food. Emily grabbed his hand and he hoisted her to her feet. She looked a little unsteady but they didn’t want to waste too much time. “C’mon.”

The three set off back down the hill in the direction Ford set. They walked in silence down the hill, carefully picking what rocks to step on and where to avoid. Emily managed pretty well despite not wearing the sturdy boots the twins wore. In fact, she was very poorly dressed to dimension hop. Stan finally took in what she wore as they shuffled down the hillside. Cheap looking pull on shoes, shorts, a tank top, and a white sweater over top of it. The sweater wasn’t really white anymore, it was stained brown in a few places but it still had been white at one point. She’d need to get herself some new shoes and a jacket and new everything for sure.

“So, you’re from Maine?” Stan tried to make idle chit chat with the girl as they reached the bottom of the hill and the ground flattened out. The worry of slipping decreased and they were able to spend less time focusing on where to step.

“Yea, what about you guys?”

“We’re originally from New Jersey but ended up in Oregon.” Stan summarized. She didn’t need to know their dirty little past.

“They’re going to assume I kill myself.” Emily said without any emotion. She just stated a fact as simple as “the sky is blue”. Ford and Stan glanced at her, eyebrows lifted. “I just disappeared. My roommate knew I was going out to the ocean. They’ll assume I jumped and my body was swept away by the ocean.”

Nobody answered her. How could they? They had no idea what to say to her declaration. It certainly made things a little easier that nobody would really search for her, not that they’d be able to find her. Stan set a hand on her shoulder and gave her a smile. She returned it but didn’t say anything. They were quiet for a while as they walked. Stan felt more questions bubbling inside him and he decided to just ask them, he’d always been blunt and upfront and there wasn’t much to do besides ask the stranger all sorts of questions.

“How old are you?”

“I’m 24.” She said, “And you?”

“40-somethin’.” Stan shrugged, “I stopped keeping track of the years a while ago.”

“So you’ve been here a while?”

“Not in this dimension.” Ford stated over his shoulder.

“Duh, Poindexter.” Stan rolled his eyes before looking back at Emily. “We’ve been away from our dimension for over a decade. As for this particular dimension, ‘bout….”

“Four days.” Ford filled in.

Emily just nodded her head.

Stan asked her stupid questions. Did she have any siblings? Any pets? What did she do for work? Did she go to college? She answered the questions but had to stop to bite back tears. All of that was suddenly ripped from her. She’d never see her brother again. She’d never kiss her kitten again. Stan stopped asking questions when she let out a little sob. He regretted asking so much but he filed each answer away nonetheless. He tossed an arm around her shoulder and gave her a little hug. She tensed at first and almost pulled away before she melted into his arms. Emily stopped moving and wrapped her arms around Stan to sob into his chest. Ford took a bit to notice his brother and the stranger weren’t on his heels anymore and stop to wait. Stan patted her back and brushed her hair and told her it would be ok.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.” She repeated over and over as she cried.

Stan cooed to her trying to get her to calm down. Slowly the tears stopped falling and Emily pulled away, looking embarrassed and red faced. She rubbed her eyes with her sweater and started to walk towards Ford.

“I’m sorry, I’m ok, we can continue.” She murmured, her eyes on the ground. Ford and Stan shared a look but they continued to walk. They had a long while before they’d be at the location with the new rift. The three walk in silence the rest of the way. Just when Stan thought his life couldn’t get any more difficult this young woman was tossed into the mix and Stan couldn’t just leave her. He remembers how afraid he was when he realized he was in another dimension. At least he had Ford with him and they were able to work together but if the twins left Emily... she’d be alone and probably wouldn’t survive. Stan decided he was keeping her around, at least until she learned the ropes of dimension hopping and how to survive alone.


	2. Chapter Two

Emily woke up to hushed voices. It took her a moment to remember where she was. The air was cool and she was covered in something that was fluffy and warm and certainly not her usual blanket. She opened her eyes a little and looked at the two figures with their backs to her. They were partially illuminated by a small fire in front of them that crackled and sparked. Their voices were filled with anger but they were keeping their voices low.

“-can’t leave her!” One hissed.

“-extra mouth to feed.” The other shot back.

Everything hit her at once. She was in some weird dimension and she’d never get home. And she’d only been saved by two adult men who didn’t seem too interested in keeping her around. At least the older of the two felt that way. He urged them to walk even when her legs felt like they were going to fall off. He forced them into a small cavern he found and gave out a small handful of berries to everyone. The younger one, the one she’d cried on, was more comforting, asking her if she was warm enough and comfortable. She’d eventually fallen asleep when the exhaustion of the day pulled her under. And now they were arguing about her.

“-extra hands!” Stanley, the younger one, added to his argument to keep her.

“-dangerous.” Stanford, the older one who liked to be called Ford, wasn’t convinced.

Emily’s head hurt from everything and she couldn’t stop herself from groaning. It felt like someone shot her in the face. The twins, realizing she was awake, shifted and quieted down.

“Hey, toots,” Stan scooted over to her as she started to sit up. Why he continued to call her that stupid pet name was beyond Emily. “Careful now, take it easy.”

Emily licked her lips, her throat dry, and she glared at Ford hoping she looked confident. She wasn’t dangerous. She wasn’t going to be a dead weight. She needed them. She wouldn’t be able to survive without them and she  _ had _ to prove it to them. “I can help you guys.”

“How so?” Ford bristled at her tone and how she glared at him.

“I can hunt and fish. I know how to gut animals. I’m an extra set of eyes because I’m sure not every place is as empty as this one.” She could count on one hand all the wildlife she’d seen today including the twins and herself. She softened and looked at Stan who seemed to have a weak spot for her, “I don’t know how to dimension hop… I don’t know how to find rifts… I don’t know a thing about the social structures here. Do they speak English? I know a tiny bit of Spanish.” She pulled on her most pathetic look. Big puppy dog eyes. Stan frowned seeming to take to her pathetic state. “I won’t be a dead weight… but please… don’t leave me.” Emily finally looked at Ford who was still trying to remain strong. “Please.”

The little cavern grew quiet. Stan looked at Ford - glared at him - and after a minute Ford groaned and let his shoulders slump. “You have a point,” He admitted, “we could use an extra set of hands carrying all our gear… and it would come in handy to have another person on lookout rotation in more dangerous locations.” He looked Emily over. “Are you sure you won’t be dead weight?”

“I want to live just as badly as you two do.” Emily said, hoping it was the right answer. She couldn’t live without them but she would try her hardest to keep up with the two of them. What other options did she have?

Ford sighed again and seemed to give up. “Ok, once we get to another settlement we can try and find you some more suitable clothes but for now,” he looked her over, “that’ll have to do.”

“Hopefully it’s a place we can get some money.” Stan piped up.

“How does that all work?” Emily whispered. “Communication and trade and-”

“Depends on where you go.” Ford cut her off. “Most places do use the same language and usually the same currency. Some places it’s just a barter system. There are a lot of… people who travel throughout the dimensions so they brought their language and currency along with them.” Ford started to fill Emily in. She didn’t understand everything though. Ford got so passionate about the topic and how amazing it all was. Emily lost details as she was overwhelmed by the information. She understood that there were beings who had control over their own dimension hopping and it was never a good idea to run into them because they were either incredibly wealthy and powerful or incredibly dangerous and still powerful. Stan summarized that as long as she watched how the twins acted she should be able to pick everything up pretty easily.

Emily wanted to ask how the twins managed to figure this all out. Sure Ford had said they weren’t the first humans into the multiverse but it didn’t sound like finding someone who spoke English was a common thing. Her head was spinning with too many questions and it ended up giving her a headache before she could ask a single one. Instead she curled back onto the ground and into the large fur blanket and tried to close her eyes. She had to think about what the hell she was doing now that her world turned upside down.

When she woke up Ford was gone and Stan was packing his backpack. His back was to her but when she shifted he turned towards her. “Hey, toots.” Emily grunted and stretched. When she started to look around for Ford, Stan spoke up again, “He’s out checking the rift. We’re going to be here a day or so… try and relax but…” He handed her a small gun. “To keep ya safe. And to kill anything you see that looks tasty. We don’t have a lot of food left.”

_ Because I’m an extra mouth to feed _ , Emily told herself bitterly as she ran her fingers over the sleek black gun. It was far nicer than anything she’d ever owned but when she gripped it and aimed at the wall a sense of familiarity ran through her. She just had to trust that she was a good shot.

“Thanks.” Emily whispered before she started to roll up the fur blanket and help Stan pack back up. He gave her a hunting knife the size of her forearm that she attached to her belt. Now that she was better armed she felt comfortable leaving the cavern.

The sky was a pale blue grey. Everything seem desaturated. Her eyes scanned the horizon seeing nothing but dull green and grey. Rocks jutted out in weird places at weird angles and if she wasn’t so frightened by the strange world she might have thought it was beautiful. Ford was indeed looking at the rift but she didn’t approach him because he had a large black gun strapped over his shoulder and it scared her and he seemed focused on whatever he was doing. Instead she looked back out over the bleak lands to see if she could spot any food. She’d seen a rabbit yesterday which meant there were things out here to eat.

Emily found a rock that jutted out over a valley and perched herself there. The air was growing hot but a gentle breeze was moving through the valley keeping her relatively cool. She didn’t think it was worth the energy to chase a rabbit so she waited like a hawk. She listened as Ford and Stan chatted about this and that but didn’t really absorb any of the information. Finally she saw her pray, a little brown bunny, her body tensed and she focused on the bunny moving between smaller rocks. It seemed to be moving closer to her and the twins but slowly. Emily edged her knife from its holster and worked herself into a low crouch. Neither twin said anything behind her if they noticed her change in posture. She watched the rabbit get closer and closer. Why it wasn’t afraid of them raised a little red flag but she shooed it away. It was a little rabbit, it couldn’t hurt her.

Rabbit got close enough that Emily knew she could pounce on it. She waited a second longer; her legs were starting to ache from holding such an odd pose for so long and her palms were sweaty. Normally when she hunted she was up in a tree with a rifle and a clear shot of much larger prey. But Emily had chased down a few stray cats and other small animals before to get them to safety and this wasn’t that different. Was it?

She swallowed and jumped forward. The rabbit squealed and darted away as Emily sunk the knife into the spot the rabbit was just located. “Damn it.” She muttered as she yanked the knife from the ground.

“The rabbits here are hypersensitive to movement.” Ford spoke calmly. “But good attempt.” It wasn’t much of a compliment but Emily would take it. She huffed and cleaned the knife with the edge of her once white sweater before returning it to her belt.

“So what do they eat?” She asked.

“Huh?”

“The rabbits. They have to eat something right? Can we eat whatever they’re eating?”

“They’re probably eating worms and other insects in the ground.” Ford shrugged. “And I’m not that desperate for food.”

_ Not yet _ . Emily told herself as she sat back down with a long sigh.

\----

The next few days were the most boring days of Emily’s life which was saying something because she was in a completely new and unusual dimension with two strange men. There wasn’t much to do besides sit and wait for the rift. She tried to hunt another rabbit the second day but it managed to escape before she drew out her knife. It wasn’t worth the effort so she gave up and let the little rodents come closer and closer to her until she could reach out and touch one if she wanted. Stupid things. Emily glared at one such rabbit who was sniffing her outstretched legs, the rabbit stiffened and darted away into the rocks.

Ford settled beside her and pulled out a journal. He was constantly writing in that journal so it wasn’t an unfamiliar sight for Emily anymore. She couldn’t help herself as she peeked at what he was doing. Instead of writing he was sketching the landscape and he was pretty good. Emily must have made a sound because Ford stopped working and looked at her.

“You’re a pretty good artist.” She explained with a sheepish smile.

Ford gave her a smile back. He had seemed to warm up to her over the last few days. They’d had a couple pleasant conversations about college and where technology was in the world when Emily left. He still seemed hesitant about her abilities to help out but was no longer voicing his opinions. 

“You went to school for art right?” Ford asked.

Emily nodded. “Yea I was an artist. I mean, I guess I still am.” She looked down at her hands. “Feels kinda weird honestly to not be drawing.”

“I’ll see about getting you a journal if you’d like.” Ford offered.

“That would be amazing.” Emily admitted. She would love to be able to draw the landscape around her right now like Ford was. She spent a lot of time trying to imprint the landscape into her memory. The two fell silent except for the scratching of Ford’s pencil on the journal just taking in the scenery. Stan sauntered over rather loudly, apparently done with cleaning all the weapons. He handed Emily her handgun back and sat on her other side.

“Shouldn’t be much longer,” Stan said. “Rift is startin’ to get pretty powerful.”

As if on command the rift made a groan and crack. The twins jumped to their feet and Emily scrambled to follow them. The three stared at the rift, the glittering captured Emily’s attention. This is what she’d seen as she fell to her death; she couldn’t take her eyes off it as she fell closer and closer towards it, it distorted the rocks beneath it making them look even more jagged and deadly. It swallowed her whole and when it did it felt like someone had thrown her into a huge washing machine that tossed her around in circles. Emily was so caught up in the rift she didn’t notice the twins had started to gather the remainder of their stuff. Stan set a hand on her shoulder and pulled her back to the present.

“We’ll be able to travel soon.” 

Emily stared up at him. He and his twin looked so much alike yet so different. She’d already learned how to tell the twins apart by the way they walked and other little noises they made. Ford was always quieter and more aware of everything where Stan just went straight forward with his life. They shared the same hard jawline, large nose, and warm brown eyes. Emily swore Stan’s eyes were warmer where Ford’s were colder. Maybe that was her imagination though.

The twins looked ready to jump in, Stan was grinning from ear to ear and bouncing on his feet slightly as he waited. Emily started to feel a sense of dread fill her up. She didn’t know what to expect. So much had been going on when she fell into the last rift. Ford noticed she had started to pick at the sleeve of her sweater and came to her side. “It feels a little strange,” Ford told her, “There’s usually a little shock like static that doesn’t hurt too bad.” Emily flinched at that. “Stan actually likes jumping through them.”

“It’s such a rush.” Stan breathed, his eyes growing wider with anticipation.

“So, I just… jump into it?” Emily looked up at Ford still very much frightened of what she was about to do.

Ford nodded his head and held his hand out to her, “Would it make you feel better to hold my hand?” Emily glanced down at the outstretched hand. She had gasped the first time she saw the extra pinky on both his hands but she was getting more used to it though it was still a little… strange. When she looked back up at Ford he gave her a little smile and she nodded her head. Their fingers entwined, his hand was so much larger and warmer than her own and Emily clung close to his side. Emily figured if he let her hold his hand it meant that he didn’t absolutely hate her. And it comforted her to have something to hold onto that was so sturdy but she couldn’t help feeling a little pathetic needing to hold someone’s hand. It was understandable right? She hoped so but she wasn’t about to let go of Ford’s hand just yet, besides he was the one who offered. She sighed and watched the rift as her stomach filled with dread and doubt.

Stan tossed a rock into the glittering rift and it vanished. He hung back and the three waited to see if the rock returned. Stan took Emily’s other hand and gave it a squeeze. “It’s fun. Like a rollercoaster.”

“I hate rollercoasters.” Emily whispered.

“Ah, well…” Stan cleared his throat and said nothing else.

“Ready?” Ford squeezed her hand. “Just walk through it and don’t let go. Stanley, would you go first?”

“Don’t have to ask me twice.” Stan grinned before he released Emily’s hand and jumped into the portal with a loud “Whoop!” Emily watched where he just disappeared, she felt like she was going to be sick and her knees started to feel weak as Ford started towards the rift.

“Just hold on.” Ford told her before they stepped into the rift together.

Emily felt like someone had grabbed her by the spine and started to swing her around like a toy. Her head spun as the world went from dull greys and blues to blackness with bright sparkling bits everywhere. Ford’s hand kept her stable as she squeezed her eyes shut. It was too much. And as suddenly as the spinning had started it all stopped. Emily found her feet on flat ground but she was dizzy and collapsed to her knees. She let out a deep groan and held her head. Everything hurt and she was going to be sick. She didn’t feel a shock but she sure as hell felt every inch of her body aching.

“Breathe.” Stan was beside her, his hand on her back, making Emily realize she was gasping for breath. “In and out. Deep breaths. C’mon. Like this.” She heard him inhale loudly and then exhale loudly. She tried to follow taking in a shaky breath. “Good. Exhale slowly.” It left her in a rush. “Again.” With Stan guiding her she regained her breathing without puking all over the ground. Finally able to focus she opened her eyes and took in their surroundings.

Wastelands was the first thing that came to mind. The ground was cracked and dried like it was once a muddy area but had been hardened by the harsh sunlight. The sunlight that was already warming Emily’s back to the point where it was getting uncomfortable. There were a few dead, old trees clustered around but it was mostly flat lands. The place was hazy brown and grey and it was even more muted than the last place they were at. She got to her feet and brushed her knees before looking all around her. Off in the distance she could see smoke and the rough shape of buildings.

“It’s probably a settlement.” Ford stated as he scribbled in his journal.

“So, we headed there first?” Stan asked.

Ford just nodded and the three set off towards the smoke. As they approached the air got harder to breathe, it was dusty and smelled foul but they were clearly approaching what remained of a city. The smoke was several different smaller streams that gathered together and disappeared into the hazy sky around them. Stan and Ford both drew out scarves to wrap around their mouths and noses. Ford handed Emily a strip of fabric that she quickly tied over her mouth. It helped keep the dust out and made the smell a little less obvious.

Sure enough, as they got closer to the settlement, sounds of life could be heard. Alien chatter and the clamber of busy walkways. Emily found herself trying to hide behind the twins as they got closer. It was the remnants of a city, buildings were made of something like sandstone and were crumbling and falling apart but the streets and alleys were packed with people. It was like a flea market with little run down lean-tos and shacks with all sorts of things for sale. Emily didn’t know what to look at. The weird items being sold or the weird beings selling them. Tall lizard like creatures walked by with brightly colored scales and brightly colored robes. Cockroaches walked on two legs and chattered while they displayed goods hung from their arms. 

Emily didn’t notice she had curled her hand into the back of Stan’s jacket, keeping him close to her side as she gawked at everything. There was so much noise it made it hard to focus on anything. The smells were seeping through the cloth around her nose and it didn’t all smell like shit. Some actually smelled quite delicious and she found her mouth watering as she stared at some cooked creature on a stick. Ford and Stan moved through the crowds with ease, they kept close to one another, shielding Emily between them as they looked for the best goods. Emily was overwhelmed by it and creatures were beginning to stare at her. One blue scaly creature had these bright red eyes and clicked its mandibles at her. Ford nudged her along as fear threatened to stick Emily to the ground.

The twins eventually found a quieter section of stalls and started to speak to various sellers. Emily kept her hand tight around Stan not letting him get too far from her even as she gawked at jewelry and embroidered fabrics. She felt like a child clinging to its mother in a grocery store but Jesus, she wasn’t even from a city. Crowds still scared the shit out of her when they were all human beings and now tossing in aliens and unfamiliar places was really screwing with Emily. She needed a little comfort and found that by holding onto Stan. He bartered with a stall of humanoid felines. They were about the same height as she was and she realized he was buying her clothes. New pants, new shirt, new jacket, and sturdy boots. Trade complete Ford appeared carrying a new backpack for Emily. She stuffed her new clothes inside until they were in a more private location to change. She felt bad as they handed over money and other goods for her new items but she’d make it up to them. She just knew it.

Ford found her a thick journal and a few pencils to round out her new items. And then they worked on restocking their supplies. Water canisters were exchanged and filled, bags of rice and dried goods, and smoked meat were most common. Emily stayed close to Stan especially when Ford disappeared for a few minutes. When he returned the three set about finding an empty alleyway.

“Find anything good, Sixer?” Stan asked as they walked into an empty part of the worn down city.

“Found a job for some credits.” Ford replied as he flipped through his journal. “There’s a pack of wild dogs bothering some folks. If we can take the pack out and prove it they’ll pay us pretty well.”

“Sounds easy.” Stan shrugged. “I heard there’s a rift in the center of town that brings us t’ a city. Some mantid wants me to punch a guy in the face there. Pay me big bucks to get a tooth back to him.”

“That’s disgusting, Stanley.” Ford replied.

“Money is money.”

“We should be ok here.” Ford said as he stopped walking and slipped into a half-destroyed building. The floor creaked as the three walked inside. It was covered in dust but it was empty and it felt safe. “Emily you can change if you want.”

“Yea, you can let me go any time now, toots.”

“S-sorry.” Emily stammered as she finally released Stan, her fingers were stiff and she stretched them out as she stared at her feet.

“Don’t worry about it. Felt kinda nice havin’ a hottie clingin’ to me like that again.” Stan winked at her causing a deep blush to spread over her cheeks. Stan barked with laughter before he took off his backpack and started to sort through the new items. Emily retrieved her new clothes and went towards a dark corner to change. The twins were wrapped up in organizing and Emily knew how to change quickly. And she trusted them not to gawk at her, at least not Ford.

The pants were dark grey and fit her well but didn’t hinder her movements as she stretched and tested them. The boots molded to her feet as she strapped them around middle of her calves. Some weird alien shit that caused them to become the perfect size. Emily didn’t want to think about it as she pulled her new jacket over her arms. It fell to her knees and had many pockets inside and out. It was heavy but it didn’t feel hot. Her outfit was very similar to the twins’ outfits.

“Here.” Ford handed her a bundle of fabric. She took it and tried to figure out just what she’d been handed. It was maroon colored and made of a thin material and was a wide loop of material. “A scarf.” Ford explained. Emily nodded and bunched the scarf back up before she wrapped it around her neck and pulled it up over her nose and mouth, she’d almost gotten used to the stench of the settlement but still didn’t want to go without something over her face.

“I’m gonna head out and do that job real quick.” Stan stated as he finished putting a fur blanket into his pack. “Get a little cash so I can get some more food for us.”

“Sounds good.” Ford nodded. “Emily and I can take care of the dogs if you’re not back before tonight.”

“Alright. Stay safe.” Stan said.

“You too.”

Emily watched as Stan exited the building without another word. She and Ford would take care of the dogs? She doubted her handgun would really be that effective. Would Stan be ok on his own? It didn’t sound like a very tough job but he had to rip a tooth out of someone which meant a fight. Could Stan win a fight?

“He’ll be alright.” Ford seemed to sense her worries. “He was a boxer when we were children and he knows how to handle himself. Here, keep these safe.” Ford handed her the journal and pencils he got for her. She searched her jacket for the right pocket and settled on one inside near her hip to keep the journal and pencils. “You can settle down and get comfortable. We’ll be here a few days. There’s a chance of finding some easy jobs here.”


	3. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are mentions of past-abuse this chapter.

Ford carefully packed all the supplies up and informed Emily that they were going to the outskirts of town where the dogs were being a pain. Emily slung her backpack over her shoulder as well as Stan’s and kept close to Ford as they moved through the alleyways. It was far less crowded but beings were still casting the pair strange looks. He kept Emily close to his side and his hand close to his sidearm. The noise quieted down as they approached the outskirts, it was more housing out here so there was less traffic. Granted the whole area was a ramshackle disaster but there were clearly beings living in different houses based on the cloth doors and candles hanging in broken windows. It took a little while to find the specific house but it was the very, very far house. Everything else crumbled around it.

Ford spoke with the owner completely aware that Emily couldn’t understand the foreign language. He made a mental note to teach her the basics in case she was ever lost or if something bad happened. The owner told Ford that there were three wild dogs that showed up near dusk and destroyed the owner’s crops and harassed his dodo birds. For the past few weeks the owner had been asking if anyone owned the dogs but hadn’t found an answer and he was sick and tired of them. That’s where Ford and Emily came in. They were to kill the dogs and, if anyone asked, they would take full blame for killing the animals. Ford figured the dogs were wild and nobody would notice them going missing. Besides, it was a little money and it gave him an opportunity to check Emily’s shooting skills.

Once Ford had the all clear from the owner he brought Emily up to the roof of a nearby building and handed her his sniper rifle he always had on his back. Her eyes widened as she cradled it into her arms. “You said you can shoot right?” Emily nodded and tested the sight on the rifle. “Keep your eyes open. Should be showing up any time.”

“This is a sweet gun.” Emily whispered, still aiming the gun along the horizon.

Ford nodded and dug out his journal to scribble some notes down keeping track of their money and supplies. They’d spent more money than he intended but he knew Emily needed what they had gotten her. Maybe the journal was excessive but it didn’t cost much and Ford understood how it felt to want to write and not be able to. They’d get the money back in no time especially if Emily was around to help with more tasks. He lost track of time while he wrote but Emily took a sharp breath and tensed. Ford glanced up and saw the three dogs running straight towards the house. Emily shifted into a more comfortable position and held the rifle close waiting for the shot. She took a deep breath and on the exhale she pulled the trigger. A laser bullet struck a dog right between the eyes and it crumpled to the ground. Ford was pretty impressed though Emily reeled back from the kickback.

“That’s different.” She murmured as she recollected herself to take the next shot. Perfect shot. “Accuracy is amazing.”

“I calibrated it myself.” Ford commented as she took the last dog down. She stretched and looked the rifle over with a smile on her face. “You are indeed a good shot.”

“Thanks! It helps that this gun is so accurate.” Emily passed the gun back to Ford. “I gotta get me one of those. I like shooting from a distance over close range.” She motioned to the side arm Stan had lent her. They’d need to buy or, more accurately, acquire a new gun pretty soon. Emily was fine for now with her side arm and the hunting knife but Ford would feel more comfortable if she had a more powerful gun. He made another mental note to keep an eye out for guns in the settlement that might be worth the effort to acquire.

“Did you hunt a lot back in Maine?” Ford asked as he checked his weapon over. 

“Mhmm.” Emily nodded. “Deer, turkey… got a moose once. That was fun.”

“Did you do it for fun?” Ford asked.

Emily shrugged, “I mean, yes and no. We always used the meat but we didn’t do it to survive, ya know? Just kinda helped out when money got tight. I fish more than I hunt though. I actually don’t buy a lot of meats from the stores. Still have plenty of venison from the last hunting season.” Ford didn’t want to correct the fact that she was talking as if she could just go open a freezer and pull out some meat; that would never happen again. It hadn’t fully sunk in that she was stuck here. Emily chatted a little more, telling Ford about her garden and the chickens she had and the time she had to shoot a coyote that was getting her chickens. It was kind of nice and refreshing to hear such domestic stories from Earth. It had been a long time since the Pines twins spoke to another human and even longer since they’d been on Earth themselves. Ford let her chat away and told her a few stories of Glass Shard Beach and the adventures the twins got into when they were young. It was pleasant and Ford was finding himself enjoying her company. He felt bad for being so rude to her when she first appeared. He had to take care of Stanley and himself first and was a little hesitant but Emily was a strong person and he could feel that she’d be useful to everyone’s survival.

“Let’s head home. Stan should be back pretty soon.” Ford slung the gun over his shoulder and grabbed his stuff. Emily followed quickly. They informed the owner the dogs were dead and were given a hefty amount of credits. That would certainly help getting new gear. On the way back to their little hideout Ford paused to grab some hot food for the two of them. Emily didn’t question the rodent like creature on a skewer but she did look a little hesitant before she took a bite. She’d have to get used to eating oddly looking things and even creatures normally left alone on Earth.

They settled on the roof of their building as night creeped in. The air was getting colder and Ford didn’t want to linger on the roof too long. Stan wasn’t back yet and it was starting to worry Ford but he tried to keep his mood light. Stan could take care of himself and it wasn’t even that late yet. He just worried. Emily ate without saying much, she took time to pluck the bones from the creature and set them beside her but she mostly watched the wasteland. Ford took more time eating, he wanted to keep alert because Stan wasn’t back and he needed to keep track of that. Stan had made a nasty habit of “surprising” Ford when he showed back up. Why he continued to do it after Ford had almost broken his nose multiple times was beyond him. Ford let out a deep sigh and finished the last bit of meat. Stan was either waiting or he was in jail regardless there was nothing Ford could do. Stan was risking quite a bit just stepping into the city, they were bound to be wanted there for some petty crime they committed.

“What kind of jobs do you do?” Emily asked quietly, her voice startling Ford from his thoughts. She wasn’t looking at him her eyes still trained over the horizon watching the sun dip even further towards the ground.

“Whatever we can find.” Ford replied. “Without being able to travel to a specific place we usually just keep to settlements like this. Beat up someone, steal back something, run errands for people who can’t.”

“So are there rifts that are permanently open? Like the one here? To a city?”

“Some, it’s rare though. But there are a few dimensions that have many rifts that are constantly open and most of the time they’re big cities. We tend to avoid cities though.”

“Are you guys wanted criminals?” Emily teased, a wide smile on her face. Ford didn’t answer right away and her face dropped. “Oh my God, you are, aren’t you?”

Ford cleared his throat, “There are some dimensions where we are wanted and there are some dimensions where they won’t even say our name.” Emily just stared at him. “Which is why I’m a little worried Stanley isn’t back yet. He tends to cause a lot of problems.”

“He’ll be back.” Emily said.

Ford knew he would be. Stan could get out of just about anything, including jail. It was just a matter of time but Ford didn’t like waiting. He didn’t like being away from Stan very long though it had to be done sometimes. Once the sun touched the horizon Ford stood up, “C’mon it’s going to get cold, we’ll want to go inside.” Emily stood and followed Ford back into the building they’d claimed as their base. She helped roll out blankets and furs to make a little sleeping nook while Ford made a small fire. 

Ford debated about the sleeping arrangements Emily made but decided staying warm was more important. And he’d been to wastelands before and they were freezing during the night. So he put aside his worries and slid into the makeshift bed beside Emily. She let out a sigh and nuzzled into the blankets, her eyes fluttering closed. He watched her fall asleep as he tried to keep himself warm and awake. He didn’t want to sleep without Stan nearby and he had  a bad feeling settling in his gut.

The cold settled in and Ford shivered and inched closer to Emily who was radiating heat in her sleep. She mumbled something as he scooted closer to her. For a while he just lay there, watching the fire burn behind Emily. It felt almost peaceful but Ford felt empty. Hopefully his twin would get some sleep and return quickly. Ford felt himself start to get drowsy and despite not wanting to sleep, he took his glasses off and set them aside so he wouldn’t break them if he did fall asleep. He shifted the furs up around his and Emily’s shoulders, hiking them up a little.

Something set Emily off. She sat up screaming. Ford was stunned at the sudden movement and didn’t realize Emily was shoving him away and inching herself closer to the still burning fire. “No, no, no. Stop! Stop!” She screamed as she scurried away in fear.

“Emily.” Ford forced himself to move forward and grab Emily’s wrist and pull her close.

She screamed and clawed at his arm but he was too strong for her. “No! Let me go! Stop! Please!” Tears were streaming down her face as she kicked her legs out at Ford. “Stop. Stop.  _ Stop _ !” She was going to hurt herself as she ripped her hand from Ford and scrambled away from him back towards the fire. “No, leave me alone.”

“Emily, calm down, you’re going to hurt yourself.” He dragged her back towards him which only made her thrash harder but he didn’t want her to burn herself. He pulled her closer and winced as she kicked his shin hard. Her nails dug into his forearm as he dragged her closer. Her screams turned into frantic pleading for Ford to stop as she realized she was losing the fight. Emily struggled until Ford grabbed her shoulders with both his hands. Her eyes were wide and unfocused. She was panicking about something so Ford calmed himself and lowered his voice. “Emily, you’re alright, calm down.” She shook her head and pushed against Ford’s chest, he was worried he would hurt her as he tightened his grip on her shoulders. At least she’d stopped screaming and wasn’t close to the fire anymore. “Emily, you’re safe, it’s ok.” A little whimper escaped her and Ford hushed her like Stan had the last time she was crying. Her eyes slowly started to refocus and she blinked at Ford. “Are you ok?”

“I-I… had a nightmare.” She whispered. “I’m sorry.” Ford dropped his hands and she slid back under the covers and away from the fire. Emily curled into a ball and wouldn’t look at Ford, her breath still uneven, her shoulders still shaking. She was clearly trying to hide her embarrassment but he knew better. Emily wiped at her face with the blanket and sniffled loudly.

“Do you want to… talk about it?” Ford said slowly, unsure how to continue.

She shrugged. “Just had a few bad experiences in the past…. I swear I felt him touch me.” She touched her shoulder, right where Ford had pulled the furs up to momentarily. “I’m ok. I won’t ever see him again so that’s a plus.” She had that matter-of-fact tone again. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. I’m sorry if I hurt you but I was worried you were going to burn yourself.” 

“Thank you.” Emily murmured, her voice growing sleepy once more. He wanted to ask her more questions because clearly something bad had happened but she was still rather shaken. There would be time later when she was more awake and stable to ask his questions.

“Try and get some more sleep, ok? Tomorrow we’ll find some jobs for money.” Emily nodded and fell asleep quite quickly. Ford sighed and tried to get more comfortable. He needed sleep too. He told himself Stan would be fine so he could close his eyes and try and fall asleep.

\--

_ Stanley screamed in agony as Ford shoved him back into his desk. He knew very well how hot that desk was and based on the loud sizzle it had thoroughly burned the younger twin. Ford heard himself apologizing despite how angry he was. Stanley’s eyes were full of fire as he punched Ford hard in the face. Ford groaned and stumbled into the portal room. The lever in the middle of the room broke his fall. He was vaguely aware of the portal humming to life behind him as Stan sauntered forward. He insulted Ford and shoved his journal into his hands. It threw Ford off but instead of falling on his ass he started to float. Panic turned Ford’s blood ice cold as he floated towards the portal that was groaning behind him. “Stanley!” Ford screamed reaching for his twin. Stan could save him. Right? Stan could figure something out. Ford didn’t want to go through the portal, he knew it was certain death. Oh God. Ford was screaming, trying to reach for his twin when he felt a hand grab his own. Stanley gave him a shit eating grin just as the portal sucked Ford up.  _ That mother _ fucker _ doomed us both,  _ Ford thought to himself before everything went black. _

\--

Ford wasn’t sure what woke him up. Maybe it was because he could sense Stan was nearby. He opened his eyes and reached for his glasses in the darkness. Emily mumbled in her sleep and curled closer towards him. The fire went out a while ago though the building was light with a predawn glow. Sure enough, Stan shuffled into the room and gave Ford a smile.

“Hey, Sixer.”

“What took you?” Ford asked as he slid from the covers. The air was cool but he stalked up to his twin and glared at him. “You had me worried sick.”

“Yeesh,” Stan held up his hands defensively, “just had to get the guy alone is all. What got your panties in a bunch? Don’t like bein’ left alone with toots?” Stan nodded towards Emily who was still sleeping soundly.

“That’s not it at all. In fact we had a great time while you were away.” Something flashed across Stan’s face. Jealousy? Anger? Ford wasn’t sure and went to start the fire back up. “I take it you completed the job?”

“Yup.” Stan grinned. “Made some good money too.” He drew a bundle of plastic money from the inside of his jacket and fanned himself with it. “Pretty easy job. Punch a guy in the face, lost a tooth right then and  _ bam  _ mission complete. You get those dogs?”

“Emily did actually.” Ford explained. “She’s quite the shot.”

“So, did ya miss me?” Stan’s voice dipped as he stepped closer to Ford.

“Of course I did. We’re never apart for long.” Ford retorted.

“And yet you still don’t want to go on the adventure of a lifetime with me?”

Ford rolled his eyes. “Stanley, please, I’m pretty sure we’re on such an adventure right now. Just because we’re not out in some rundown old boat doesn’t mean we’re not… together.” Ford glanced at Stan whose smile faltered a little. Sure Ford knew how important that dumb old boat and that dumb old dream was to his twin but Stan had to realize that wasn’t going to happen not anymore. They had to fight to survive and it was mostly his fault. Ford still held a grudge against Stan for ruining his chances at attending his dream school and then when Stan started the fight that launched them into the portal. Ford had been an asshole to Stan when he showed up though, Ford had to admit that to himself, maybe it wasn’t exactly justified what Stan did but they were both to blame for everything that happened. They’d tried to talk it out but they differed so much on it that it was never really going to settle down. It was just a matter of moving on and trying not to pick at the scab.

“Hey,” Stan whispered leaning closer to Ford.

“What?” Ford looked over and was shocked when Stan pressed his lips to Ford’s. He pulled away and glanced at Emily who was still asleep. “Stanley, please, now is not the time.”

“It’s never the right time for you.” Stan huffed. “There’s nothing stopping us anymore Sixer.” Ford would love to argue about that. It was still immoral and made Ford’s skin crawl when he realized just how much he loved his own sibling. But Stan had managed to coax those feelings out of Ford when they’d first arrived. It had been years since they were together like that and Ford would be lying if he said he never thought about Stan that way, especially when Stan was kicked out and Ford realized just how much he relied on his younger twin. Ford had been stubborn to continue to push Stan away but Stan was just as stubborn and Ford gave in years back. He’d almost come to terms with the fact that he was in love with his twin. Almost.

“I just…” Ford glanced at Emily again. “I don’t want to have to explain it to her… what if she’s revolted? She’s from Earth like us and you remember how  _ sick _ everyone thought this was.”

“Yea but we’re not on Earth.” Stan whispered, his voice taking on that husky tone Ford was so weak to. “And so what if she freaks out and leaves? You didn’t really want her around in the first place.”

“I-” Ford wanted to defend himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t want  _ her _ it was that he didn’t want to feel responsible for the safety of someone else. Stan was too close and Ford couldn’t form words. Little butterflies flew around Ford’s stomach like he was some love struck teenager and not a grown man.

“C’mon, I’m not gonna hide our relationship forever.” Stan was getting uncomfortably close - actually, he wasn’t close enough but having Emily asleep mere feet away was making Ford want to run away. “Spent over thirty years doin’ that, Poindexter, and I’m not about to let one person tell me I can’t love you. Cuz I do.” He cupped Ford’s jaw and pulled him close. “I love you, Stanford, and I don’t want to keep hiding it.”

Ford sighed and leaned into Stan’s hand, his stubbornness melting away. It would be nice to just be able to be with Stan like he wanted. To hold his hand whenever he wanted. To kiss him whenever he wanted. They’d almost reached that point when Emily literally flew into their lives. “I love you too, you knucklehead.” Ford whispered.

Stan chuckled and drew Ford into a sweet kiss. Ford melted. How Stan had this hold over Ford was beyond any reasoning. He couldn’t understand it, he was so very flawed already and then add on being gay? And then the cherry on top being gay for his  _ twin _ ? Ford frowned. Stan kissed him again reminding Ford that he really just didn’t care. He’d spent too long angry and alone and he’d be damned if he let himself stand in the way of having some happiness in this unfortunate shithole of a life. As Ford started to kiss Stan back, his hands sliding up Stan’s strong arms, he heard a small squeak.

Emily was awake.

_ Fuck _ .


	4. Chapter Four

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some brief mentions of suicide and past abuse in this chapter.

Emily thought she heard kissing in her sleep. That couldn’t be right? Her mind tried to separate her dream from reality as she started to wake up. No she was hearing kissing but who? She was still under the warm furs that reminded her she was not in Maine. Her eyes blinked open and she saw Stan and Ford? Together? Kissing? Wait. Emily squeaked as she tried to blink the sleepiness from her eyes. Was she really seeing the twins kiss?

Ford scrambled backwards, his face beet red as he stared at Emily. Yup. Emily was pretty sure she caught them kissing. Huh. “Y-you know,” Ford stammered, “i-in some dimensions relations like this are actually encouraged t-to keep bloodlines pure a-and...”

Emily sat up and stretched her hands above her head. “Whatever.” She smiled at Stan who smirked at her. “You two love each other and shit. Who am I to judge?” Emily shrugged trying to keep calm. Sure it was weird as fuck that they were twins and were kissing but she had entered a world beyond anything she could imagine and two people loving each other wasn’t really high up on the “Oh Shit” scale even if they were related. She literally saw a human sized cat the other day. But she couldn’t help but feel a little stab of pain in her heart, she had created some weird attraction to both of the twins, particularly Stan. Maybe it was because the two seemed to care about her and honestly want to keep her safe. Maybe it was because she was a hopeless romantic who had just gotten out of a terrible relationship and was trying to rebound. Maybe it was some weird form of Stockholm Syndrome. Who knew. Emily certainly didn’t. Regardless, it really didn’t matter to her about what two consenting adults do with each other.

“‘Course we love each other.” Stan said taking this much calmer than Ford who was still bright red and wouldn’t make eye contact with Emily. 

“I’m glad you’ve found someone who makes you happy then.” She nodded and started to rub the tiredness from her eyes. Hopefully her bitterness and disappointment didn’t show through.

“S-so you’re ok with this?” Ford asked.

She shrugged. “Sure why not. Kinda bummed but whatever.” She caught the quick glance the twins shared with curious looks on their faces. Emily flushed, she didn’t quite want to admit her weird crush and make the situation even more awkward. Instead she cleared her throat and looked to Stan, “So you beat that guy up?”

“Nah, just punched him once.” Stan shrugged and crouched next to the fire to get it to burn a little more. It was cold and Emily was already debating about making herself a blanket burrito to keep walm. “I heard you took down those dogs yourself?”

Emily beamed and retold the story, happy to get off the topic of the twins strange relationship. It wasn’t a long story but she was still very proud of taking those dogs down. She had three amazing shots and wanted so badly to tell her father, her hunting buddy, about them but had to settle with telling Stan. “Last time I had a shot that good was when I took down a moose!” Emily finished her story.

“Woah, you shot a moose?” Stan’s eyes grew wide, he was sucked into her tale.

“Yea, I won a permit… cuz that’s how they’re given out in Maine. There’s like a lottery and only a few people get ‘em cuz we’re trying to keep the moose population up.” Emily babbled about the moose. “I always knew they were big but they are  _ really  _ big. Like the antlers wouldn’t even fit on my wall they were so big! Everyone was so proud of me.” Her smile faltered at that, remembering how her dad had hugged her so tight and told her how proud he was of her… her picture was taken for the newspaper and for weeks she was stopped and congratulated on taking the moose down. And now all she had were the memories. She couldn’t even look at the antlers anymore or the shitty, grainy newspaper picture.

Stan sensed the change in emotion and nudged Emily. “Why don’t we go see about getting another job for the day? I heard there’s a vendor lookin’ for people to help ‘em prep fish for sale and he’s offering smoked fish as payment.”

“Sounds good to me.” Emily nodded, wanting to get her mind off the memories before they turned sour.

“I’ll stay around here.” Ford spoke up at last. “Keep an eye on our stuff… and get some news from the multiverse. Maybe they’ve dropped the warrant looking for us.”

“Yea, it looked that way when I was in the city.” Stan shrugged. “Tried to keep to the shadows mostly but seems like there are bigger crooks out there than you and your infinity die… or me and that time I punched that time guy in the face.” Stan smiled at the memory before he nudged Emily again. “C’mon, let’s go. We’ll be back soon, Sixer.”

“Stay safe.”

“You too.”

Emily checked that she had her weapons before she followed Stan out into the settlement. The place was already starting to buzz with life and the air was growing hot with the strange smells again. Someone was frying the mystery creature Emily ate last night with Ford, someone was smoking meats, someone had fresh carcasses hanging from hooks. Emily tried not to think about what the creatures were as she kept close to Stan. She tried to resist the urge to grab his shirt again, they were in less crowded areas and it was before the rush of beings arrived, but she still found it difficult. Everyone was chattering in weird languages. She swore she heard a cardinal chirping at one point. Eyes were watching her as she walked by stalls. One arachnid-like creature with eight eyes stared at Emily without blinking. It sent a shiver down Emily’s spine and she stepped closer to Stan.

_ Stop this _ , Emily told herself harshly. She had to get used to these creatures and the way they stared at her. She was going to be here for a long time. Might as well adjust now. She had always prided herself on how relaxed and calm she was. She took finding the twins kissing so easily, at least on the surface. She should be able to deal with strangers easily too.

Just when Emily started to straighten her back and step away from Stan his hand slipped into her’s and tugged her along. He flashed her a smile but said nothing. There goes that plan. They walked towards a large building that once was probably a warehouse. As they got closer it started to smell like ocean? Salt and mud and fish. Emily didn’t understand it because they were in the middle of a dry wasteland. As they entered the warehouse Emily noticed a portal against a grey wall, it smelled like rotten fish and salt as it swirled with glitter like a rift but much more obvious and stable, Emily assumed it lead to an ocean and a rush of nostalgia ran through her. Sure enough, the warehouse was set up like a fish market, vendors with displays filled with ice and dead fish. Emily didn’t recognize a lot of the fish, some were brightly colored and others were far larger than anything she’d ever caught, though she did recognize lobsters and crabs and a few other common ocean fish. Stan tugged her along as she gawked at the fish just as interested as she was in the other market with the exotic fruits and jewelry. There was always something to stare at here.

Stan stopped near the middle of the warehouse and brought Emily towards the back wall. There was a fat, blobby creature bent over a table but it picked up its head and looked at the two with the largest eyes Emily had ever seen. It blinked like a crocodile and smiled revealing a row of pointed teeth. The creature spoke in a deep tone, sizing up the two, Stan replied and gestured to Emily.

“You teach her Noezian soon?” The creature spoke broken English.

“Yes.” Stan nodded. “Emily, this is Zed. He’s going to show us how he wants the fish gutted and cut.” Zed motioned to the two stools on the side of the table and set down a large purple fish. He cut the fish in a manner similar to how Emily learned getting two large fillets from either side of the fish.

“Good?” Zed asked.

Emily nodded. Stan shrugged. They each picked up a long fillet knife. Emily paused to marvel at how sharp the knife was before Zed slapped a purple fish in front of her and one for Stan. Emily slid the knife into the fish just behind the gills, it was made of tougher meat than the fish she was used to and its scales were jagged and sharp. She was careful as she pulled the knife down the spine towards the tail, trying to get a clean cut, Zed made a grumble as he watched the two work. Emily tried not to think about it as she set the fillet down to cut off the scales. She set the clean fillet up and smiled at her handy work, it wasn’t perfect but it was a good looking fillet in her opinion. Stan set one down that looked a little more mangled, he couldn’t get a clean line down the spine it looks like.

“She good. You no.” Zed pointed to Stan. “You open scallops.” Emily smiled to herself as she cut the other fillet off both her fish and Stan’s while he learned how to open scallops. Emily had done it before and hated it and these scallops seemed even bigger and more stubborn to being cracked open. Emily would deal with cutting smelly fish all day over dealing with stubborn, gooey scallops.

The three worked in silence. Zed and Stan occasionally spoke in a weird language but Emily focused on cleaning the fish. Zed gave her a pile of fish to cut while he cut smaller hunks from her fillets out to fill orders. Stan swore at the scallops quite often under his breath, man-handling them into opening. He wasn’t delicate with the meat which was a shame in Emily’s mind but he managed to clean each scallop pretty well. They worked for about two hours, Emily’s back ached from bending over the table and her head was starting to feel funny from the fish smell in her nose. Emily finished the last fish and helped Stan finish the last of his scallops. Zed was impressed and paid them for their hard work with a few smoked eels and smoked salmon fillets. The two thanked Zed and went to wash their hands.

“That was a good paycheck!” Stan sighed stretching his back.

“Yea, I betcha those smoked eels taste amazing.”

“Wish we had some credits though.” Stan huffed. “We got to buy you a rifle, ‘specially if you’re as good a shot as you say you are.”

“You know I am.” Emily gloated to Stan.

“C’mon, toots, let’s go back and find Fordsy.”

“Don’t ya wanna find another job?” Emily asked, one job with a few smoked meat wasn’t a full day in Emily’s eyes.

“True, I just don’t want, Sixer to get nervous again.” Stan admitted.

“He did seem pretty worried last night.”

“We’re just not used to being away from one another for a long time anymore.”

“So how long have you two been, um, together?” Emily asked. She’d been wanting to ask since she saw them kiss but doing so in front of Zed didn’t seem like a good idea. Now they were a little more secluded despite being surrounded by people. There was chatter everywhere and Emily doubted anyone was paying attention to their conversation.

“Well, ‘bout junior year in high school I think…” Stan shrugged. “We weren’t together back then, ya know, everybody likes to think twins being in love is disgusting but, I dunno, nobody ever made me feel the way Ford did. He’s always had a harder time admitting it but being out here has helped,” Stan gestured to the settlement around them, “nobody knows us, nobody gives two fucks about us, and, like my nerdy bro said, some places actually encourage it. I’m too old to give a damn anymore. I love Ford and I’ll scream it from the top of any roof.”

Emily forced herself to smile. She had really fallen for the older men and her little crush was being kicked to the dirt with every word Stan spoke. Though she was honestly happy that he was happy. Everyone deserved to find someone who loved them and treated them well. She was jealous of Stan for finding that person. “I’m glad you found someone who makes you happy.”

Stan glanced down at her, had her voice cracked? He gave her a sad look. “Yea, well, it’s not always so pleasant in paradise. We still fight. We’ll always fight. There’s some shit that happened between us that we can’t fix.” He shrugged. “But as long as we’re together and avoid the topics we’re usually fine. What about you? You didn’t mention having anybody on Earth but I didn’t ask.”

“I don’t- er… didn’t have anyone,” Emily corrected herself. “I had just gotten out of a bad relationship actually… which is what they’ll assume was my motive for jumping. Bullshit. Like I’d kill myself because of him.” She hissed the last bit under her breath.

“Yeesh, sounds like there’s some dark tales to be told there.” Stan draped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into his side. “But you don’t gotta worry about him. He’s gone. And Fordsy and I will try our best to keep you safe.”

“Ford already did that,” Emily admitted, “I had a nightmare last night and he kept me from going into the fire.” Emily looked at her wrist, it was ever so slightly bruised where Ford had grabbed her so hard. She didn’t blame him, she’d rather have a few bruises over burns any day. “Guess I’m still dealing with the shit that asshole caused.”

“Welp,” Stan sounded uncomfortable and Emily kicked herself for being so open, “you can always talk to me about anything. Not much is gonna surprise me anymore.” Emily wondered what the twins had seen the past decade… what they’d seen throughout their whole lives actually. She wondered how they’d react if she told her own story.

\--

Emily’s whole body ached by the time she flopped down onto the fur bed. Stan had found them another job carrying sacks of flour or rice or whatever across the settlement to a storage house. How Stan managed to stand after all that work confused the hell out of Emily. She wasn’t exactly fit but holy  _ shit _ had she worked hard today. Stan looked fine, a little sweaty, but he didn’t pass out on the floor like she had. Ford greeted them with food he bought from a vendor: hot stew on top of cooked rice. It was just spicy enough for Emily as she ate happily.

“Have a good day?” Ford asked like a housewife asking her husband after a long day of work.

“Mhmm.” Emily nodded.

“Got us some eel.” Stan traded the smoked meats for the bowl of dinner. The three sat near the fire and ate. Stan retold the events of the day, exaggerating how difficult it was to open the scallops. “My fillets weren’t even that bad!”

“Oh God,” Emily muttered, “they were like a blind man chopped at ‘em.”

“They weren’t that bad!” Stan retorted as Ford laughed.

“They were bad.” Emily stared at him with a straight face. “Real bad.”

“Well  _ sorry _ I didn’t grow up cuttin’ fish up like some people.”

Emily stuck her tongue out at Stan and he copied the action before all three burst out laughing. Stan nudged Emily and teased her about carrying the flour. Ford teased them both about it. It was nice. It warmed Emily’s heart. Even back home she didn’t have this kind of relationship with anyone where she could just poke fun at someone and laugh. It felt good.

Once Emily finished eating she laid on her stomach and started to sketch in her journal. She hadn’t found time to sit down and sketch anything and she had so much she wanted to make notes of. She drew Zed and the weird looking fish that she had seen. She sketched out the crag and made little notes about how it looked before she sketched the wastelands. It was all rough from memory but it was better than nothing. Satisfied with her sketches she set to work on another drawing, taking time to remember each feature and each curve of her father’s face. He was all she had.

“Who is that?” Ford asked as he sat next to Emily to write in his own journal.

“My father.” Emily mumbled into her arm that was propping up her head. “I really just had him growing up…. Mom divorced him and took my brother when I was little. So he raised me basically by himself, it's part of the reason I learned how to fish and hunt… cuz he was a hunter and he couldn’t afford a babysitter.” Emily closed her eyes to let some memories flash before her like a slideshow. Her father had always tried his best to give her a good life and she was just starting to set out on her own after college when she just… disappeared. Emily wondered if he’d cry. She had never seen him cry before. He was always the strong, sturdy, hardworking guy. It hurt Emily to think about what he was doing right now. She had to stop working on the drawing before it made her heart ache too much.

“It gets easier.” Ford whispered. “Thinking about your old life.”

“Does it?” Emily asked glancing up at him.

He frowned and shook his head. “Not really…. But you’ll grow stronger and that makes it easier.” Emily frowned this time. Ford didn’t say anything else and went back to writing in his journal. Stan came over and flopped on Emily’s other side and pulled out his own journal. Emily lifted an eyebrow at him, she’d never seen him open a journal before.

“What?” Stan asked, “Can’t have my own fancy journal?”

Emily shrugged, “Just never seen it before.” She went back to her drawing, trying to distance herself from the memories and focus on the details of her father’s face like it was a still life and it was a big assignment to complete it. “What do you write in it?” She asked quietly.

“Hm?” Stan hummed not sure if he heard her or not. “Oh, nothing in particular, notes about what happened during a particular day, sometimes I just write thoughts or dreams. Dunno.” He shrugged. “I’m not a fancy artist like you or my bro.”

“You never know.” Emily murmured. “I think anyone can be an artist with enough practice.” Stan blew a raspberry causing Emily to roll her eyes. “It’s true. I’m only good cuz I’ve been drawing since I was like four.”

“Have you  _ seen _ my stick figures?” Stan asked.

“Practice. You think at four I was able to draw a proportional face? Or even knew what proportions were? It’s just practice and observation.”

“Pffffft, whatever you say toots. I know I ain’t no artist-”

“That’s a double negative, Stanley.” 

“-but you two are. And Stanford, you shut your mouth.”

Emily giggled and went back to her picture. The twins teased one another back and forth but Emily could understand why Stan said their relationship wasn’t the smoothest sailing. Their teasing got a little… heated every so often with real venom behind the words they shot back and forth. Still, they had a nice relationship regardless and Emily was jealous of it. Her last relationship had been an absolute nightmare but that ended and she was gone never to see him again. There was something comforting about that thought. However, the scars he left were still very present and sore and would probably take a while before she was better if she ever got better. He had hurt her and he had hurt her  _ bad _ . She finished her sketch and closed her journal, her thoughts were running through her head so loudly she couldn’t focus on the details she needed to finish the picture anymore. With a sigh she settled into the furs and closed her eyes to let sleep take over.


	5. Chapter Five

The three wanderers spent several days in the settlement getting a variety of money and supplies until Ford was content with how full everyone’s backpacks were. He didn’t know when they’d be able to resupply so he wanted to be prepared. Emily had adjusted well, the first few days were exhausting for her because she clearly wasn’t used to so much physical labor but she managed. Ford gave her one of his famous - according to Stan - massages and she was set to adventure again. There was a rift in the distance that was getting pretty strong, Ford wanted to avoid going into the city even though they weren’t high on the wanted list. They were still on the list and Ford didn’t feel like getting Emily sucked into the bullshit.

There was one last thing they needed prior to leaving though and Ford had been putting it off waiting to find a good deal. Emily needed a rifle. Everything had been too expensive. But now they had to settle. He had considered stealing one but he didn’t want to get into even  _ more _ trouble. Ford lead the way through the stalls to where the majority of weapons were sold. His eyes skirted the different tables trying to spot a good weapon. He could always tweak it later if it wasn’t highly accurate. Stan and Emily chatted behind him, she was slowly learning Noezian and was pointing at weapons and asking what they were in the foreign language. He found a suitable gun that was compact when it wasn’t in use but when he picked it up it expanded and shifted into a full size rifle. Ford gestured for Emily to come up to check it out and handed the gun to her. Emily held it and aimed, testing it out, making sure it wasn’t too large for her. She needed to be able to use it in any situation and Ford worried the large rifle would be a little too much for a close battle. As he was humming over it the seller mentioned it could shift into something like a shotgun. With a click of a button on the side the sleek black metal shifted into a compact shotgun. Emily’s eyes grew to the size of saucers as she looked the gun over. Ford bought it, it might have been a bit more expensive than he originally wanted to spend but it was two guns in one and Emily seemed giddy over it.

“Thank you so much.” Emily beamed at Ford as she slung her new gun over her shoulder.

“Well, you helped earn the money too.” Ford stated, feeling alright with splurging a little money every so often.

“Speaking of that…” Emily tugged on Ford’s sleeve and pointed to an axe she apparently had been eyeing. “Can I get it?”

Ford shrugged, he wanted to be in charge of the money but they’d earned quite a bit with the extra set of hands they earned a good amount of money even after buying all their supplies. Emily gave him a pleading look and he gave in and gave her the plastic credits. She looked nervous but turned to the seller and tested her language skills. It was a little awkward, she was flustered, but the seller took it with a grain of salt and handed her the axe and a little sheath for the blade.

“Anything else?” Ford asked. He was starting to get antsy about getting to the portal in time but Emily needed to feel comfortable with her equipment. She shook her head, her eyes lingering over the vast array of guns and knives. He handed her some money like an allowance and let her go. “If you want something, there’s your money.” Ford wanted her to be a little more independent, she had to learn some day. Stan stood at Ford’s side and watched Emily barter with another seller. 

“She’s learning pretty quick.” Stan stated allowing his arm to brush with Ford’s just slightly.

“Good.” Ford nodded as Emily traded some money for a small knife and a sharpening stone. There might be a time when she didn’t have Stan and Ford to help her and guide her and translate for her. She made another quick sale before she turned to the Pines twins with a grin on her face. She didn’t spend all the money, she’d haggled the prices of her objects pretty low, probably with those big doe eyes of hers. Ford was proud.

“All set!” Emily chirped as she handed Ford the remaining money.

“Let’s head out then.” Ford checked his watch for their heading before the three started to weave through the crowds to the edge of the settlement. The sun was hot as hell once they left the shade from the destroyed buildings and tents from bazaars. As they walked across the cracked, dried mud Emily fidgeted with her jacket and her new additions trying to find where she wanted to store her weapons. It slowed Ford down, because she wasn’t focusing on where she was walking and had already tripped once on the uneven ground.

“I feel weird about having all these weapons.” Emily muttered as she hung her axe from her belt.

“You do realize we’re trying to survive right?” Stan asked. “It’s way better t’ have too many guns than not enough. ‘Sides we have a ton of weapons ourselves.”

“Yea, like a knife and that rifle.” Emily gestured to the black gun on Ford’s back. 

“Ha, as if that’s all we have on us.” Stan snickered. “Look, we got knives in our boots and jackets and I have my brass knuckles. We have so many weapons.”

“So that’s what was poking me in the back this morning.” Emily teased.

Ford rolled his eyes but moved the conversation along, “I agree with Stan, it’s better to have too many weapons.”

“Yea…” Emily frowned and tried to figure out where to keep her new knife. She settled with tucking it into her boot, which almost made her topple over but she managed. “So, I got something…” Emily stated as they walked. “I thought it was cool as hell…”

“Oh?” Ford asked wondering where she was going. He wondered if she bought something frivolous like a piece of jewelry. They were here to survive not look fashionable. She held out her hands to reveal a pair of brass knuckles that were pretty thick around the grip. She slid one over her knuckles and clicked a button on the top with her thumb. A thin switchblade shot out the other end and Emily grinned. Definitely not jewelry. Good.

“That’s awesome.” Stan was impressed with the knuckles. He took the other and tested it out himself. He even punched the air a few times and tested out slashing the air with the knife.

“I thought they were cool but I don’t usually fight with my fists… and you mentioned your brass knuckles before so…” She handed the knuckles to Stan. “Figure you’d like ‘em.”

“Sweet!” Stan grinned as he slid the second brass knuckle onto his other hand and punched the air. “These are great. Thanks Emily.”

“No problem!” She beamed up at Stan who put his new weapons away with a grin on his face. Ford couldn’t stop his own smile, Emily was observant and quite considerate. Stan didn’t usually get “gifts” anymore, there was no reason for it. They were in survival mode and the twins usually discussed every purchase prior. It was nice feeling to be given gifts, almost made it feel like they weren’t in the multiverse anymore trying to survive.

The rift wasn’t too far away from the city but it didn’t seem like anyone else wanted to travel through it. Not everyone jumped through rifts. Many settled down or used the permanently open rifts. There was a lot of risk involved with jumping through rifts. This one wasn’t quite ready yet but they had cut it close. Ford didn’t mind taking the risk jumping through rifts, Stan was a gambler and they weren’t exactly welcome in all the dimensions, and there was always a chance Ford would find something new and exciting to write in his journal or find a place to settle down and call home.

Emily took the brief moment to adjust her weapons one last time as they waited. Her long knife hung from one hip with her axe hanging from the other. Her pistol was in a holster under her arm courtesy of Ford. Rifle over her shoulder with her pack and knife tucked into her boot. She looked ready to go. Ford smiled at her, hoping she was ready to use the weapons if the time came, he wondered if she’d be able to draw her gun fast enough. He handed her a spare pair of goggles he found when he was repacking that she looped around her neck with her scarf. The air wasn’t so nasty smelling so they’d dropped their scarves from their mouths and noses once they got far enough away from the settlement. It was still dusty and hot though. Too hot. The three had a thin layer of sweat gleaming on their faces as the sun beat down on them. Ford hoped the next dimension wouldn’t be sweltering hot… or freezing cold if it wasn’t too much to ask.

The rift crackled and Stan tossed a rock through it. Emily was starting to get antsy again. She had a habit of playing with her sleeves when she was nervous. Ford picked up on the habit pretty quickly. She also started to bite her lip and cheek when she was nervous. Ford didn’t say a word as he held his hand out to her. It calmed her down last time and Ford didn’t mind. Her hand slid into his and he gave her a small squeeze.

“Ready?” Stan asked.

“No.” Emily croaked.

“It’ll be ok.” Ford told her before Stan jumped into the portal with a loud whoop. He enjoyed jumping dimensions far too much. Ford huffed and pulled Emily along with him. They stepped through the portal and Ford closed his eyes as the world spun around him. It was disorienting going through the rifts and he wasn’t fond of the feeling. He dealt with it because there wasn’t much else he could do but he didn’t want to admit how they made him feel like he was going to be sick every time he went through one. His feet landed on solid ground and he steadied himself and Emily before he took in the new dimension they were in. 

It was a lush forest. Tall trees, big pine trees, bushy plants and shrubs everywhere. Flowers of different colors were blossoming all over the place. Birds were chirping and chattering in the distance. The air smelled like pine, mud, and salt like there was an ocean nearby. It was… nice. Ford noticed little wildlife running through the brush, they’d be good on food for a while he told himself. Maybe they wouldn’t rush straight to the next rift, like they did when they ended up in the crag or the tundra. The ground squished under Ford’s boots as he started to walk around, it rained here a lot Ford guessed.

“This looks nice.” Stan nodded to himself as he looked around in circles.

“Yup.” Emily agreed.

“Do we want to head towards a rift or settle here for a little while?”

“We can settle.” Stan shrugged. “Seems nice enough.”

They looked at Emily, she had a say in what they did now too, who blinked dumbly before she stammered, “Wh-why don’t we head towards one just in case?”

“In case what? Paranoid?” Stan teased.

“Um. Yes?” Emily wasn’t sure of herself but she had a valid point. They’d only been in the new dimension for a few minutes and who really knew what each place held. Ford checked his watch and located a weak looking rift in the distance. He set off in the direction, walking through the tall grass and flowers, it was wet and his pant legs quickly got damp as he walked. The birds chattered and flew around seemingly unphased by the newcomers. Lizards and rabbits ran right by the group. Ford assumed this place wasn’t visited by anyone very often because the creatures weren’t afraid of them. He imagined this was what it would be like going back in time to when man first started to walk. Animals hadn’t learned to be afraid of the hulking beasts yet.

“Ooh, blueberries.” Emily pointed to a bush that was covered in bright blue berries. Ford inspected them, not entirely sure they’d be safe to eat. Emily didn’t seem bothered by it and popped one into her mouth. Ford gaped at her but she shrugged and ate another one. “They’re sweet.”

“And what if you get poisoned?” Ford asked, his voice bordering on fury and fear.

“Oh well? Live and learn?” Emily shrugged. “They look just like the blueberries back home.”

“Doesn’t mean they’re blueberries.” Ford snapped. He was worried she’d start puking and he wouldn’t be able to help her. It was risky eating anything here, even the lizards could be poisonous, they just didn’t know.

“Chill, Poindexter.” Stan huffed. “We’ll be fine. Now let’s keep w-”

Stan was cut off when something screamed in the distance. Everyone froze and looked around for the source of the noise. The forest was still, the birds chirped like nothing was wrong. The scream only lasted a second but it was  _ loud _ .

“What was that?” Emily whispered, stepping closer to Ford.

“I don’t know. Probably just an animal.” Ford tried to brush the nerves away. He had no information about what made the noise. It didn’t sound human or like any creature he’d met along his travels. It could just be a strange animal calling. Nothing to get too worked up about. Yet. “Let’s keep walking. Just stay alert.”

They walked slower this time. Ford was anxious and a little paranoid but he tried to force himself to stay calm and focus. If he got too paranoid he wouldn’t be able to think straight and that got risky. His mind needed to be clear to make the split second decisions he had to make. The forest was calm though and it made Ford feel weird. It was just too calm. Too perfect. And then that scream? Out of nowhere? He didn’t want to admit he was worried, he had to keep calm to keep Emily and his brother calm. Sometimes it was a little too much to be the one they both relied on for how to react. He wasn’t always the strong, calm person Emily thought he was. Stan knew that, Stan had seen him screaming in sheer panic before. Regardless he had to stay calm for them.

The forest gave way to a large beach and a salty ocean. The golden sand was littered with debris and bottles and massive clusters of rocks. Emily pointed to a little tent up the beach a bit and they went to it. A tent meant someone had been here or might still be here. Stan reached the tent first and peeked inside.

“Empty.” He stated.

The little campsite looked abandoned. The tent was dirty and had a few tears in it and there was a pile of charred sticks nearby. Strange. It was close to the rift though so maybe they just forgot about the tent or didn’t care about it and left. Ford told himself that the owners of the tent just didn’t give a shit about the tent and that it wasn’t at all because something bad happened to them. His mind was going wild with theories and he had to take a deep breath to calm himself. It was fine. This was a nice place. He was just paranoid because of that scream.

“Looks like a good place to call home.” Stan shrugged. “It’ll be tight but we can cuddle.” He winked at Emily who flushed and looked away. Ford shook his head, why he continued to tease the poor girl was beyond Ford.

Emily gasped and Ford’s head jerked in the direction she was looking. He expected the worst, to see a terrible monster stalking towards them, but instead he saw a little deer in the forest. Emily’s eyes grew wide and her fingers twitched. Ford realized she wanted to hunt it. But he was still concerned there was something here and gunfire would certainly make their presence known to whatever was in the forest. He set a hand on her shoulder and shook his head. “We have enough food right now and we don’t know what’s here that could hear a gunshot and investigate.” She nodded and dropped her hands. “First order of business, though, is find fresh water.” Sure they had water pouches but having water was the most important thing.

“We splittin’ up?” Stan asked.

“No!”

Emily spoke so fast and so forceful Stan lifted an eyebrow at her. Her face flushed though Ford had to agree with her. “We still don’t know what’s here. We should stick together.”

“Pffft,” Stan folded his arms, “buncha pansies.”

Ford rolled his eyes, “Stanley, please.”

“C’mon ya babies.” Stan started to walk back towards the forest. “Let’s find some water.” Ford huffed and started after his brother. Emily hurried to catch up and keep herself close to the twins still a little nervous about the area. Ford was too but he didn’t want to admit it and have his brother tease him again. There had been plenty of times when Ford’s nerves had saved them but he didn’t want to argue with his twin right now. So the three stayed close together as they walked through the woods in search of fresh water. The forest was nice and calm but every so often something would rustle through the bushes and Emily would flinch. It was a deer or a raccoon, Ford told her to keep her calm. She needed to stay focused. People got careless when they got scared.

They found a small lake not too deep into the woods. Emily immediately commented on the fish swimming in the water. How she managed to see them so quickly was impressive. But Ford was a little distracted by the large wooden tower on the edge of the lake. Stan seemed to notice it too and walked straight to it. Ford glanced around the small clearing around the lake trying to see if he saw anything. That structure was man made. There was even a rope hanging down from the top platform. Someone made it. And that someone might still be in the area. Emily didn’t seem as bothered by it, maybe it was because she was circling the river, looking into the clear water.

“What’s up there?” Ford asked as Stan climbed the rope to the platform.

“Uhm,” Stan mumbled as he looked around the platform, “not much, got a nice view of the lake though. Like a hunting platform or something. Ooo, bottle of booze!” Stan knelt and picked something up from the platform before he slid back down the rope.

“We don’t need to get drunk Stanley.”

“Party pooper.” Stan huffed but pocketed the bottle regardless.

“Got a fish!” Emily called out.

The twins turned and found Emily holding a long stick with a fish flopping on the end. How she managed to find the stick  _ and  _ catch a fish so fast was rather impressive. She’d be just fine surviving on her own. Ford would have to ask her how to spear fish because she was clearly capable. Any doubts Ford had of the girl when they first met were quickly disappearing. She could shoot, she could fish, and according to Stan she could fillet a fish pretty damn good. But the real test was if she could fight and if she’d be able to live with herself if she killed something. Ford’s hands were stained with so much blood but he knew he wouldn’t be alive if he hadn’t killed. Would Emily feel the same way?

“Nice!” Stan complimented her as she handed him the dead fish before turning back to the water. Her whole body tensed as she waited before she tossed the stick, that was sharpened on one end, into the water and drew out another fish. “We’re gonna eat some fish tonight!”

Emily grinned and pried the fish from the end of the spear. “Want me to-”

Another scream. It sounded closer this time. Everyone froze and looked around. Something darted through the trees. Ford caught the movement out of the corner of his eye. It looked like a bear? A white bear? Hunched on four legs but it moved  _ fast _ .

“Uhm, let’s go back.” Ford suggested, nervous to stay in the dense woods any longer.

“Sure, sure.” Stan nodded and went to Emily’s side, his hand hovering over his side arm.

“Quickly but quietly.” Ford said in a hushed tone. Ford kept his head on a swivel as they walked back to the little tent. He wondered momentarily if the tent was a safe place to stay. He wondered if there was a rift closer that was stronger so they could leave. No. He’s just paranoid. It’s just some wildlife, probably curious about them. He just had to stay calm. That’s all. He didn’t see anything else before they reached the tent. Ford suggested they make a fire to cook the fish. Stan went to the edge of the forest and gathered up some sticks while Emily worked on cleaning the fish. Ford kept an eye out, Stan didn’t go very far but Ford was paranoid and he wanted to make sure everyone was ok. It was his duty as the eldest to take care of them both.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new dimension is based off the game The Forest. It's a survival game and it always gives me a weird sense of paranoia whenever I play it.


	6. Chapter Six

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, lots of stuff happens in this chapter. Mentions of past abuse and past sexual abuse. Mentions of gore and death and body mutilation (reminder this dimension is based off The Forest). And I think that's it? This chapter is a bunch of suspense though.

This fucking forest was giving Stan a serious case of the creeps. He wasn’t sure if he was hearing a deer or a raccoon or whatever the fuck was at the lake running through the bushes in the forest. It was clearly creeping Stanford and Emily out too. Stan tried to stay confident and not show just how freaked out he was. Those weird screams didn’t sound like anything he’d ever heard before and sure there were probably creatures he’d never seen before but maybe that was what was causing him to be so nervous. If he knew what made the noise he’d feel more comfortable; he’d know if it was a serious threat or just an animal that was all talk and no bite. The not knowing was the worst. The constantly looking over his shoulder was the worst. Seeing a deer walk around in the corner of his vision was the worst. He wanted to leave. Damn rift needed to form faster. It was barely a glittering speck when they managed to locate it on the beach and would take probably days to form fully. 

After they ate the fish Emily caught and some berries they set up the tent with their furs and blankets. The three decided it would be best to set up a rotation during the night to keep watch. This damn forest was making them all so paranoid. It was tight in the tent, it wasn’t meant for three people, probably two at most, but nobody was complaining about being snuggled into one another though the backpacks were digging into Stan’s back rather painfully. Stan was going to have first watch, it wouldn’t be dark for a while but nobody wanted to be outside anymore. They even broke the fire down before hiding in the tent. Ford was on his stomach, writing in his stupid journal and Emily was on her side draped over him. The twins learned pretty early on that Emily was a cuddler, much like Stan was. It was nice, honestly, because she turned into a fucking furnace at night and Ford was  _ always _ cold so with Emily helping keep the oldest twin warm Stan was actually able to be warm himself.

Stan sat near the entrance to the tent, his legs tangled up with Ford’s and Emily’s. If they needed to get out in a hurry it probably wouldn’t end well. A lot of flailing and scrambling. Stan hoped nothing would happen in the night. He slid his gun into his lap and held it close. 

“We in agreement this place sucks?” Emily mumbled into Ford’s shoulder.

“Yup.” 

“Absolutely.”

Emily sighed and closed her eyes, her leg hiked up on Ford’s hip. She only recently started cuddling like this during the day. It usually was only late at night when she was sound asleep. Though Stan was probably part of the reason for her becoming so open about it, he cuddled her in the mornings when they were both waking up. And he cuddled Ford quite often. He was a cuddler. It made him feel good and there wasn’t much that made him feel good in this stupid place. Nobody seemed to mind. Well, Ford did when he was trying to write in his journal and Stan was being particularly snuggly. It wasn’t long before she fell asleep.

“Make sure she doesn’t drool on your journal.” Stan teased.

“Honestly, I’d rather her get some sleep. She’s never had to do this before.”

True. Stan wondered if he should stay up with her for her first shift to talk her through what she was supposed to do. He’s spent plenty of nights of no sleep. He sighed and shifted his legs, bumping into Ford’s under the blankets.

“Gonna be tight the next few days in this tent.” Stan commented as sort of an apology for kicking his brother.

“We’ve had to deal with worse.” Ford replied. He set his journal down and shifted onto his side. Emily mumbled and shifted herself. “Are you all set to stay up?”

“Yup. No problem.” Stan didn’t bother commenting how it was still light outside. Sleep wasn’t easy to come by. Sure they’d slept pretty well in the settlement but it wasn’t always that way. They’d been pretty sleep deprived prior to entering that damn crag dimension. Stan moved into a comfortable position, resting against the backpacks, and settled in for a long night.

\--

The night was uneventful. Sure Stan heard another scream way off in the distance that woke Ford up but nothing else happened. Ford switched with him when his shift was over. They woke up Emily as they tried to shift quietly around the small tent. She mumbled and buried herself into Stan as he flopped next to her.

“‘Er’thin’ ‘kay?” She mumbled, her words slurring like she’d had two too many shots of tequila.

“Just peachy, now go back to sleep, toots.” Stan told her as Ford got comfortable.

“Mmm’kay.” Emily hummed and drifted right back to sleep.

Stan couldn’t have been asleep for more than a few minutes before Ford was very forcibly kicking him awake. Stan grunted ready to snap at his twin when he heard something rustling around real close to the tent. His blood ran cold. Emily murmured in her sleep, shifting against him. He propped himself up on an elbow and shook her awake in the darkness. She groaned, clearly not wanting to wake up, Stan clamped his hand down around her mouth to keep her quiet. She was a noisy sleeper, not quite snoring but lots of mumbles and murmurs. They couldn’t have that with something rustling around their tent. Stan doubted it was just a deer because he hadn’t heard a peep throughout the whole night.

Stan kept his breathing slow as he listened to something walking around the tent. No. Two things. Wait. Three? Stan’s heart hammered in his chest. They were too close. Too big to be a deer. The sand made a distinct sound when it was kicked by the things. Fuck. He wanted to sit up and grab his gun but he had to keep Emily quiet. His hand started to feel wet and he looked down and with the faintest moonlight shining through the small rips in the tent Stan noticed Emily’s cheeks were wet and her eyes were squeezed shut. Was she panicking? He felt her lips quivering against his palm. Fuck. No she couldn’t cry. He bent down close to her and bumped his head against hers.

“It’s ok.” He breathed. “It’s ok. Shhh.”

Ford nudged him again telling him to shut up but he had to keep Emily calm. They could afford a few whispers if it meant keeping Emily from sobbing. He cooed into her ear and she started to calm down. Her body shuddered as something broke a branch close to the tent. Stan’s body went rigid, his elbow was starting to hurt from keeping himself propped up and he wanted to grab his gun but he didn’t dare move. It was close. Too close. His chest was hurting from how hard his heart was hammering. He didn’t dare move an inch. He didn’t dare blink. He didn’t dare turn his fucking head to look at his brother. He was frozen to the spot as whatever was outside stalked around the tent.

Fuck. 

Fuck. 

_ Fuck. _

The things stopped moving. 

Everything was still. 

Stan swore he could hear Emily’s heart hammering in her chest below him. Stan swore he could hear Ford’s heart hammering in his chest on the other side of the tent. Stan could certainly hear his own heart hammering in his chest. One of the things outside let out a garbled noise, unintelligible sounds, like nothing Stan had ever heard before. A shiver of fear shot down his spine and he squeezed his eyes shut willing this nightmare to be over. Everything was as calm as the tense situation could be for a moment before the things outside took off, running into the woods, as they call out with high-pitched screeches. They snapped branches and shoved through trees as they disappeared into the forest.

Nobody moved. Fear still keeping them frozen in place.

Emily moved first, whimpering under Stan’s hand. Oh right. She was crying. Stan pulled his hand off her mouth and wrapped her into his arms. “You ok?” He whispered. She nodded. “You’re ok.” He stated. She nodded again.

“Are you ok?” Ford whispered, he dared click on a little light on his watch. The small tent was drenched in the faint green light. Stan sat back and looked at Emily who was clearly upset. She was shaking, her cheeks were soaked, and he could tell her eyes were bloodshot and puffy. He didn’t think it was because of the things outside the tent, she was crying before they really got too close. It worried Stan who sat up and pulled her into his arms again.

“What’s wrong?” He asked.

“N-nothing.”

“Don’t lie.” He hissed. “You can trust me.”

“Tomorrow.” She mumbled. “When it’s day. Please?” Stan huffed but he had to admit now wasn’t the time to have a deep conversation by the dim ass light of Ford’s watch.

“Get some sleep. Both of you.” Ford whispered. “I’ll stay up the rest of the night.”

“You don’t ha-” Stan started to argue but Ford kicked him rather hard under the blanket. Stan grunted and flopped back onto the bed. He wasn’t arguing because he didn’t want to sleep, he wanted to sleep so bad, but Ford needed sleep too. Emily fell into his arms and he gave up fighting with Ford for now. Emily needed to feel safe right now. How in the hell the small girl managed to take such priority in his life in such a short period of time was incredible. “You’re ok.” He mumbled into her hair. “We’ll talk in the morning. It’ll be ok.” Emily was asleep before he finished talking.

“She ok?” Ford whispered as he turned off his watch light.

“We’ll find out in the morning.” Stan replied. “Sure you’re ok?”

“Yes.”

Stan didn’t fight it and went to sleep. 

\--

Ford woke Stan and Emily up by nudging their feet. Emily groaned and curled into herself, kneeing Stan in the thigh in the process. Stan grunted and sat up and pushed Emily away. “God, couple inches and you woulda hit the boys.”

“Ew.” Emily muttered before she sat up too. Her face was still red and puffy but she hadn’t cried again in the night.

“C’mon, let’s go outside.” Ford said, his voice still quiet.

Right. There was something strange about the forest. Stan grabbed his sidearm, finally, and watched Ford unzip the tent and slipped out. Stan followed him quickly, giving his brother some backup. His eyes darted around trying to see if there was anything. He noticed depressions in the sand from when the things ran off but that was it.

“It’s clear. C’mere.” Stan said. Emily crawled from the tent, her hand holding her axe tight. Of all the weapons she picked an axe. What a strange girl. “Do we dare go into the forest for water?”

“I think we should stay here. Close to the rift.”

“Are there any others?” Stan asked looking to Ford.

Ford shook his head. “The other one peaked last night and it’s gone.”

“Fuck.” Stan cursed, they’d be stuck here with whatever the fuck those things were for a little while longer. “How much longer for this one?”

“Day or two.”

“Can’t come soon enough.” Stan huffed as he looked out over the ocean. It reminded him of Glass Shard Beach. It was an absolute shit hole. He picked a booze bottle off the sand. They were miniature sized, trial or travel sized, not really enough to get drunk. He glanced back at Ford who was setting up another fire and wasn’t paying any attention to him. The seam cracked when Stan twisted the cap. Ford’s head snapped up and he glared at Stan.

“Really, Stanley?”

“What?” Stan smiled innocently.

“You really think it’s a good idea to get intoxicated when there’s something out there?”

“This,” Stan shook the bottle, “isn’t going to get me drunk, Poindexter.”

“My point still stands.”

Emily, who had been stretching quietly, stepped up and took the bottle from Stan before she pressed it to her lips and took a big swig. She immediately started to cough and sputter. Stan just stared as she took another smaller swig. He looked at Ford who said nothing.

“So she can get drunk but I can’t?” Stan huffed in fake agitation.

“Emily.” Ford finally shook out his trance and snapped at the girl.

“Look, you guys want me to talk about something I  _ really _ don’t want to talk about so I’m gonna get myself a buzz.” Emily twisted the cap back onto the bottle and put it into her jacket pocket. Right. She had a weird melt down last night. 

“Alright,” Stan shrugged and settled on a nearby rock with his back to the ocean.

Emily sat beside him and stared at the sand before she cleared her throat. “My, uh, last relationship… you know, wasn’t so good.” She glanced at Stan who nodded remembering her mentioning it when they were in the settlement. “It was, uh, pretty bad…” Emily was all sorts of nervous, not looking at either twin for very long, her eyes darted along the edge of the forest. For a while she was silent, fiddling with her jacket before she spoke so quietly Stan had to lean closer to her. “He abused me. He’d yell and scream and throw things.” She started speaking faster like the words just wouldn’t stop coming. “At first I brushed it off because I’d always done something to set him off like I burnt dinner and he threw a plate at me. He always apologized and told me he loved me. I guess I was stupid. I didn’t notice that it escalated. He,” she swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes shut again, “he would, um, do things to me even if I told him no. He would punch me and kick me too. He’d slap me all the time and call me names. And, uh, I guess, when you woke me up last night… I had a nightmare that it was him. He did that one night… woke me up and slammed his hand over my mouth and…” She trailed off for a moment, “I, uh, I just… I-I’m sorry.”

“No, no.” Stan put an arm around her shoulder realizing he’d been just staring at her with his mouth open. “No, you’re ok. Don’t apologize.”

“I could have gotten us killed.”

“Stop.” Stan spoke with a stern tone. “Don’t apologize. Don’t feel bad. What happened to you should never happen, ok? That piece of shit is lucky I’m stuck here or else I’d rip him a new one.”

“It’s ok. I got out of it… maybe a little too late… but….” She sighed deeply, her shoulders slumped. “I’d break his nose if I ever saw him again.”

“I’d do more than that.” Ford stated.

She glanced up through her lashes at Ford and gave a weak smile before her head snapped towards the forest, her whole body going rigid. The twins looked at the forest, eyes scanning frantically for whatever Emily saw. There was nothing to see.

“There was something…. White? On all fours? Running through the trees there.” Emily pointed to where she saw the thing. There was nothing there now.

Stan’s stomach twisted. He felt like a sitting duck. There was something in these woods and he had no idea. It could be a pack of wolves or a bear or one of those weird giant cat beasts he saw a few years back. Who knew. And that made the hair on the back of his neck stand up. Emily pulled her axe from her hip and held it tightly.

“You do know you have a gun right?” Stan joked.

“And alert everything where we are?” She retorted echoing Ford’s earlier warning about her shooting a deer.

“Means we have to get close to the things.”

“Why don’t we take a quick walk into the woods and get some water since we didn’t yesterday?” Ford suggested.

Stan didn’t want to but he also knew he would get antsy and freak out if he was just staying still. He slid on his new brass knuckles and slid off the rock. Emily followed and the three walked into the woods cautiously. They jumped at every rustle and were met with a little deer or a racoon. There was something in the woods though. Stan was pretty damn sure he felt something watching him from somewhere. Stupid forest making him real fucking paranoid now.

“Look, another tent!” Emily gasped and darted forward. There were two small single person tents set up, completely abandoned like the tent they were staying in. Emily peeked in the first one and didn’t find anything. She glanced into the second and reeled back so hard she stumbled over a rock and fell on her ass. “T-t-t-there,  _ ooh _ my God.” She was completely out of breath, shaking from head to toe. Ford went to her side and Stan peeked into the tent. What could have shaken the poor girl so badly?

There was a dead body inside.

That would do it.

It reeked, it had been there for a while, but Stan didn’t back off quite as quick as Emily did. He wanted to know if it was a natural death or not. He glanced at the decomposing body and noticed it was missing an arm. Completely gone. What the fuck? He edged closer to the body and realized there were bite marks in the chunky thigh. Something had eaten the body. And, granted it was decomposing and a weird color and hosting an array of insects, Stan was pretty sure it was a human. Finally the smell got to him and Stan left the tent and sucked in some clean air.

“That’s messed up.” Stan stated.

“Not as messed up as that.” Emily whispered.

The twins looked down at Emily who was still on the ground. She lifted her hand and pointed. Not ten feet away was a long stick with a head on the top. A human head. Long hair spiked up with sap or something. A camera jammed into its mouth. A clear warning.

“We need to get the fuck out of here.” Stan stated.

“We still need water.” Ford stated as he helped Emily to her feet. “Just stay close and stay alert.”

Stan didn’t want to. Everything was telling him to run. But they needed water and they really couldn’t go anywhere. Might as well face his fears and deal with it. Besides there wasn’t much Ford and Stan couldn’t tackle and now they had Emily in the mix. They would be an unstoppable team.

Still, they were cautious as they went to the river. Emily caught a few more fish while Ford filled water canisters and jugs. They could purify it when they got back to the tent. Ford had some weird nerdy science shit to purify the water; add some drops of this weird liquid into a bowl of water, wait a few minutes and scoop off the film that forms on the top. Bam clean water. Stan kept his head on a swivel while the two worked, though they both paused to look around. Another  _ loud _ scream in the distance. It almost sounded like a boom of thunder there was so much power behind it. The three wanderers looked at one another before Ford went back to filling the last jug with water. They loaded up with the heavy jugs and got back to the tent as quickly as possible. They couldn’t fight with armfulls of heavy water jugs. Especially when they needed to keep those jugs to survive.

Back at the tent Ford started to purify the water while Emily cut her fish. Stan kept an eye out but found himself watching Emily work. The pure concentration on her face as she sliced the fish open against a flat rock. She made it look so easy. Maybe when they weren’t panicked he’d ask her how to fillet a fish like she did. Emily washed the fillets in the ocean water and gave them to Ford to cook. She settled beside Stan and they watched the forest.

“I feel like I’m prey just waitin’ to get eaten.” Emily admitted in a soft voice.

“I just hate that we don’t know what it is. The suspense is killing me.”

They just watched deer saunter back and forth through the forest. Whatever the things were they wasn’t eating the deer or the other small wildlife. They seemed to be eating humans. And the three wanderers were human and probably on the menu. But they weren’t campers. They were hunters. They had guns and he didn’t see a single gun or cartridge near that creepy campsite.

Ford handed them fish and a canteen of water before he sat beside Stan. The three ate in silence. They were stuck in limbo waiting to leave this creepy hell. Another scream with a second trailing right behind it. And they sounded damn close. The three jumped off the rock, grabbing their weapons. Emily still holding onto that damn axe. Stan scanned the edge of the forest, edging himself in front of Emily trying to keep her safe. He knew Ford could handle himself but he wasn’t positive Emily would be ok.

A glimpse of white through the trees caught Stan’s attention. Three figures stood at the edge of the forest. They looked tall and powerful. Their skin was so pale it practically reflected the sunlight. They were naked? But Stan didn’t notice any dangling bits or anything? And those bright red eyes were unsettling. Not human, Stan decided as he pulled out his gun. Ford’s hand curled around his wrist and tugged the gun back. Ford and his fucking no-noise bullshit. The three figures started walking down towards them with their shoulders back and heads tall. It was intimidating. Stan traded his gun for his brass knuckles as Ford stepped forward.

“Ah, hello?” He asked, trying to communicate with them.

“Dumbass!” Stan hissed as he tried to grab Ford’s arm. These things clearly didn’t want to talk. Stan was pretty damn sure the dried dark stuff on their hands and around their mouths wasn’t mud. They had to be at least seven feet tall, towering over Ford as they approached. About halfway down to the beach the three things stopped and crouched low, bending their knees. Stan ran his thumbs over the little buttons that would release the blades of his brass knuckles. Everything in his body was screaming to run. His heart was hammering in his chest. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end.

The closest thing opened its mouth and screamed. Screamed with ear-piercing volume. Screamed that sent shivers of fear down Stan’s spine threatening to freeze him to the ground. Screamed so loud the trees seemed to shudder. And then it rushed forward, mouth open baring sharp bloody teeth. The two others screamed as well though Stan couldn’t hear them through the blood pumping in his ears. The three were coming right at them and they looked mean. Stan got into his old boxer’s stance and tried to prep himself for a fight. ****


	7. Chapter Seven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More blood and gore. Sort of body mutilation? I suppose? Body horror?

There was a flash of white and Emily’s vision blurred. Something slammed into her. The things had been running at them when Stan and Ford ran up to meet them. One slipped away while the other two kept the twins occupied. Emily’s brain was ten steps behind and didn’t realize it was coming for her until it was on top of her. Sharp claws dug into her shoulder as it screamed in her face. Emily shrieked and swung her axe on reflexes alone. She caught its upper arm and it staggered back. She scrambled to her feet, tunnel vision on the creature that didn’t seem too bothered by the gash in its arm or the blood streaking down its white arm.

It hunched down again preparing itself to launch forward. Emily’s mind caught up and she swung her axe again, catching it in the side. There was a sickening wet sound and the thing wailed in pain. It was almost like chopping a tree. It wasn’t a creature. It wasn’t breathing. It was a tree. A tree that needed to be chopped down. A tree that fought back with sharp branches that cut into her arms. Gotta fight it and keep chopping. Emily’s vision was blurry and black around the edges as her mind tried taking her out of the situation. She couldn’t even see the creature. She just saw a white tree that she labeled as a birch. The red blood was actually just sap that clung to the tree’s body and her hands. Just keep going. Just keep swinging.

Her axe slashed across the things chest leaving a deep wound from shoulder to hip. Blood spurted out all over the place, it felt sticky and warm when it hit her face. It stumbled and fell onto the ground. It warbled in pain as it tried to back up away from Emily. No. She had to finish the job. She had to down the tree. Emily’s feet carried her forward closer to the thing that scrambled away. With every ounce of strength she brought the axe down into the thing’s chest. There was a loud crack and Emily knew she had finished the job. The thing went limp as she pulled her axe out of the thing’s sternum that she had broken with her final swing, her axe dripped with thick blood and bits of bone as she stepped back.

For a moment Emily stood over the thing feeling rather proud she had downed the giant tree before her vision cleared and she realized it wasn’t a tree. She’d killed someone. Murdered them in cold blood. Her hands and clothes were soaked with its red blood. Oh  _ God _ . Emily dropped her axe and staggered backwards, eventually falling on her ass and curling into a ball. She’d killed it. Killed it. It wasn’t like killing a deer or downing a tree at all. No this was a sentient creature. But it wanted to kill her. She was just defending herself. She was protecting herself. She  _ had  _ to do it.

Didn’t she?

Ford was suddenly in front of her. His mouth was moving but she couldn’t hear a word he was saying. Her mind was shutting down. Her ears were filled with the hammering of her heart. Her eyes could still see the thing bleeding and screaming at her. Her whole body shuddered and she felt herself start to cry. Why? Why did she kill it? She didn’t have to. Right?

\--

“Is she ok?” Stan asked, scanning the forest. The two other things had managed to run off but Ford and Stan had done quite a number to them. By the time they realized the third was missing they heard Emily let out a cry followed by a loud snap. She’d torn the third apart. And now she was having a meltdown on the ground. Ford was afraid this would happen but he really couldn’t blame her. The things were scary and even he found himself working off instinct during the encounter.

Ford scooped Emily into his arms and tried to calm her but she was sobbing and shaking. He hefted her up and brought her closer to the tent. He needed to clean the blood off and see if she had any wounds. The creatures had surprisingly sharp claws and used them the most during the attack. Ford had a few cuts and Stan did as well but Emily wasn’t in a place where she could direct Ford where she’d been hit.

The younger twin washed his hands and cleaned his wounds before he helped Ford clean Emily’s hands and face. Blood was everywhere. She still hadn’t calmed down but Ford hadn’t stopped talking to her and trying to hush her. “You’re ok. You’re ok.” He whispered over and over like a broken record. She needed to come back to her senses. They couldn’t have her be like this for much longer. She needed to function on her own.

Ford removed Emily’s jacket and cleaned a wound on her shoulder. There were smaller nicks on her forearms but the one on her shoulder was pretty deep. Stan bandaged himself up and kept an eye out while Ford worked. “Emily,” He murmured as he doctored her wound, “you did what you had to do. You did nothing wrong.”

“I killed him.” She croaked out.

“And he would have killed you if you didn’t.” Ford kept his voice calm and even as he felt her slowly come back to the present.

“But. No.. no.” She shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut. “I killed him.”

“It was you or him. And after he killed you he would have come after Stan and myself.” Ford said. “You saved us.” While he doubted the thing would really have been able to overtake both the twins - despite how large the thing was - it seemed to calm Emily down to think that she was protecting others besides herself. She wouldn’t kill to defend herself but she’d kill to defend those close to her. And right now the Pines twins were all she had. “You saved us.” He repeated and she melted into his chest with a sob. “Ok?”

She nodded and sniffled loudly.

“Ok. Now I need to bandage my wounds, can you keep watch with Stanley?”

Emily lifted her head and nodded. She looked so hurt. Ford wondered if she’d be able to recover from this. Ford wondered if she’d be able to do this. Sure he’d freaked out when he killed his first creature but it wasn’t like this. He didn’t completely shut down. He told himself that he had to to save himself and Stanley and he was ok. And after that it just got easier, maybe too easy, to kill in the name of protecting himself. And he wasn’t a hunter like Emily had been. She killed fish today and was perfectly fine with it. She should have been able to do this. She should be able to recover. She had to in order to survive.

Emily stood up, rather shakily, and walked towards the thing. Ford watched her closely. He didn’t understand why she’d want to go back to the thing that tried to kill her. She stopped a few feet away and picked up her discarded axe. He sighed and went about cleaning his own wounds as Emily went to the ocean to clean her axe.

It was eerily calm at the tent. Nobody spoke. Nobody talked about what happened. Emily cleaned her axe, Ford patched himself up, and Stan watched the forest. It was just a matter of time before the two that got away came back. That damn rift needed to form fast so they could leave this nightmare. The birds resumed their chirping close to sunset, Ford couldn’t remember when they’d stopped. The forest didn’t make a sound, there was no rustling of  _ anything _ and Ford didn’t know if it was a good thing or a bad thing. He hadn’t seen a deer or any other small animal since the attack.

Eventually Emily grew tired and went into the tent to write in her journal. Which left the twins alone on a rock as the sky quickly started to darken. Stan let out a deep sigh and nudged Ford’s elbow. “You ok?” He asked not looking at the older twin.

“Yea. You?”

Stan grunted and gave a curt nod. His fingers brushed against Ford’s before they tangled together. It was a simple gesture but it comforted Ford. No matter what happened he had Stanley to back him up. They sat in silence for a little while before the sky decided it was time for some rain. The sky opened up and started to pour. Ford and Stan darted into the tent. There was a tangle of limbs as they crowded Emily. Stan sighed dramatically as he flopped over Emily who just giggled and tried to wiggle him off of her. Ford couldn’t help but smile. It was lighthearted. It was something they all needed in that moment. Emily pushed Stan off of her and everyone settled down. There was a boom and rumble of thunder and the rain fell even harder onto the little tent. Thankfully they’d layered their blankets pretty thick and would, hopefully, not be sitting in a puddle of water in a few hours.

Ford allowed his eyes to close but he didn’t sleep. He just needed a moment of peace. The patter of the rain mixed with the crash and booms of lightning was nice. Stan started to hum, his feet shifting the blankets as he tapped them back and forth. Ford hated it. The repetitious movement made him antsy. But he didn’t say anything and let himself listen to the storm.

Nobody really slept that night. They didn’t set up watch either, the three squished together side by side all night. Nobody could get their minds to shut off. Ford kept checking his watch to see how strong the rift was. He kept listening to the storm, straining to hear if there was anything coming in the darkness. He kept whispering to Stan and Emily; Emily needed a little reassurance that what she did was right. She was accepting it, slowly, but Ford guessed it would be a while before she was totally ok with killing to survive.

It was almost dawn when the storm finally passed and Ford could clearly hear those creatures around the tent. From the sounds of footsteps in the sand there was just one outside. Probably a scout. The three wanderers tensed and listened to the thing walk around the tent. It was so damn close Ford could hear it breathing, loud and raspy like, before it shrieked and ran off. Those calls, as Ford was gathering, were the creatures communication system. He doubted the two that ran off were the only two on the island. There were too many different screams; some sounded feminine, some shook Ford’s bones they were so powerful, some were small high-pitched shrieks. The three stayed in the tent until the sun was fully up. It might not be the best decision but so far they hadn’t done anything to the tent. Ford felt like as long as he stayed in the tent with Stan and Emily they’d be ok. That nothing could hurt them inside the little tent. He knew it was stupid but it didn’t matter.

They exited the tent and Ford breathed deeply. The rain had made the smell of mud and pine even stronger. The sand was squishy under his boots and it reminded him of going to Glass Shard Beach after a big storm with Stanley to see if anything cool had washed up. He put the memories aside and focused on getting some food ready for the group. Nobody wanted to go into the woods to hunt so he opened their reserves already. 

“When’s the rift gonna be ready?” Stan asked as he finished his food.

“Soon. Tonight from the looks of it.” Ford guessed.

“Can’t come soon enough.”

The day creeped by. Nobody really moved from the beach. It made Ford feel antsy. Waiting. The things clearly knew where they were located and he doubted they’d just leave them alone. The fact that Emily killed one didn’t seem to matter, Ford noticed they retrieved the body when they woke up. Ford tried to figure out why they would take the body. Burial? Autocannibalism? It didn’t matter. The body was gone. Ford found himself scribbling in his journal writing down what he knew about the creatures which wasn’t much at all. Just that they screamed for communication, had sharp claws, and ate people. Oh, and they were terrifying. He knew that very well.

“Do you hear that?” Stan asked, his voice low.

Ford paused drawing the creature in his journal and strained his ears. It sounded like something big was stomping through the forest. Ford shoved his journal into his jacket and drew out a machete he was rather fond of. It had served him well over the years. The thumping got louder as the thing got closer. Little screams started to sound near the loud thumping. Ford’s eyes darted around trying to find the creatures but he didn’t see anything. What the hell was making the noises?

A small white shape flew out of the forest with a shriek. It looked like a pale blob. A few more flew out of the forest. The thumping got louder until-

“Jesus  _ fuck _ .” Stan summed the situation up pretty well.

It was a mutated creature. It was the same pale color of the creatures that had attacked but it seemed to be made of four or five sets of humanoid legs at the hip with a few extra stubby arms sticking out of the torso. It looked like a spider or an octopus or something. It was much taller than the other creatures which meant this thing was  _ huge _ and walked rather delicately for having ten legs, the ground groaned with every step it took. Ford’s brain tried shutting down as fear froze his body but he wouldn’t let it. No. He had to focus. He had to figure this out.

A little blob flew past the twins. It was a mutant child thing. One arm and one leg and a bunch of fat. Another blob flew at the group and slashed Ford’s arm with a surprising amount of force. He hissed as he sliced the creature’s head off. There were so many little shrieks and flashes of white as the blobs flew at them.

“Kill it!” Stan yelped as he flailed his left arm around. A blob was securely attached to his arm. “Kill it!” Emily swung her axe into the back of the thing and ripped it from Stan’s arm. The big thing, Spider Queen, approached. It lifted two legs and shrieked. “Is that a vagina?” Stan asked, eyes trained on the junction between the two raised legs.

“Now is not the time, Stanley!” Ford snapped. How could his brother be thinking of  _ that _ in a moment like  _ this _ ?

“She’s got some nice knockers too!” Stan smirked at his twin.

“Stanley!” Ford cried exasperated as he swung his machete into another screaming blob. Stan was most likely doing it to annoy Ford but why the hell he decided now of all times to annoy the older twin was confusing as hell. Stanley Pines made no sense at all.

Spider Queen shrieked again and crouched similarly to the other creatures before they attacked. “Get ready.” Ford announced; what it was about to do wasn’t going to be good. It let out a shriek and jumped. Jumped high into the sky. Jumped towards the group. Ford shoved Emily out of the way and they landed in a heap on the sand as the Spider Queen landed right where they had once been. Stan had landed on the other side after his own dive for safety. Ford’s heart was hammering in his chest. He didn’t want to get close to the thing to attack it with his machete, it was too dangerous. The creatures clearly knew when to find them so he decided the best thing would be to shoot the thing. Ford pulled his sidearm from his hip, aimed hastily, and fired. The laser bullet hit the Spider Queen on one of her arms. She shrieked and scurried around like a hurt spider. It almost stomped on Stanley who was busy fighting off little blobs and trying to get to a safe distance from the thing.

“Go. Go.” Ford grabbed Emily and yanked her to her feet. She chopped a blob out of the sky that jumped for them. Ford looked back at the big creature and saw it getting ready to jump again. It reared back, lifting two legs into the sky as it screamed. No. Ford wasn’t going to give it the chance. A blob landed on his thigh and threatened to take him down as it dug into the skin. He hissed but had to ignore the sharp pain. The Spider Queen was about to jump again and could seriously hurt one of the wanderers. He wasn’t going to let that happen, he had to protect his twin and Emily. He aimed and fired.

The Queen’s head blew up. Perfect headshot. That would be written in his journal later. The thing collapsed into a pile of twitching limbs. If it weren’t for the blob digging into his thigh he’d probably rejoice. Instead he ripped the thing off him and shot it in the face at point blank. It blew up and spattered blood and guts everywhere.

“That was awesome, Sixer!” Stan complimented as he punched a blob in the face.

“Thanks.” Ford aimed and shot the remaining blobs as Emily went to inspect the thing.

“Ew.” She said as she nudged it with the end of her axe.

“Everyone ok?” Ford asked.

“Got a few scratches but I’m good.” Stan shrugged as he went to look at the thing with Emily. “Woah, that’s totally a vagina.”

“You’re disgusting.” Emily glared at Stan who shrugged. Emily rolled her eyes and pushed Stan away from the thing. “So now what?” She looked at Ford.

The rift crackled in the distance answering her question. It became a mad scramble by the three to pack their gear. The blankets and furs were hastily shoved into a backpack. They should have been prepared. Ford chided himself on not being prepared to travel through the rift. They managed to gather everything before the rift had fully formed. It glittered and shimmered nearby, as if waiting for them. Ford kept an eye on the forest as Stan tossed a rock into the rift. They would finally be free from this nightmare. Ford glanced at the lifeless mass of limbs and shivered. He’d never have to deal with that hell again.

The rift snapped, sounding like a clap of thunder. Ford turned so fast his vision blurred. There was no glittering rift. It was gone. Absolutely gone. He’d seen it happen before, rifts just disappeared before a strong bond is fully formed.

“Fuck.” Stan summed up Ford’s emotions.

They were stuck. They were stuck on this nightmare island. They were stuck with the dangerous creatures. Fuck was right.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gore and body mutilation and junk. Still stuck in The Forest.

The rift was gone. Just gone. Absolutely gone. And they were still stuck in the  _ fucking  _ forest. Now what? What do they do now? Sure they had guns and they were good shots but Emily was already feeling her lack of sleep thanks to the things constantly screaming and making her so paranoid. She chewed on the inside of her lip as she looked between Ford and Stan waiting for their next move. The twins just gaped at the location where the rift was. Her hand curled around her axe as she looked back at the forest. Emily wanted to scream back at the horrid creatures. She wanted to scream until she started to cry. She hated this forest. She had to squeeze her eyes shut and try and focus before memories of that bloody, dead  _ thing _ came back to haunt her. She had to kill it, she repeated to herself over and over until the feeling had passed. She had to kill it and there was no shame or fear or whatever weird emotion she was feeling because she killed a human-like creature.

“There’s a rift west of us.” Ford stated, his voice held no emotion.

“Guess we should head there then.” Stan replied.

“We should take the tent.” Emily added.

They moved stiffly as they took down the tent and gathered it up. They set off through the woods. Each person gripped their own gun. Screw the whole silent thing. Emily eyed a few deer as they walked but she decided it would be better to find their location before since she didn’t want to gut and clean a deer out in the open. Emily thought they’d seen everything this fucked up place could offer. Nope. The group stumbled upon a dead human, propped up against a rock, with his guts spilling out onto the ground. Flies buzzed around the body and Emily saw maggots squirming through the guts. Her stomach twisted and she almost threw up. It stunk. The body was decomposing. It looked like it was melting.

“Let’s… just keep moving.” Ford suggested.

They couldn’t have gone four feet when they saw another mangled body hanging from a tree. This one was cut in half almost perfectly. Flies buzzed around the body that hung from its ankle. Emily threw her hand over her nose as she struggled to pull her scarf up around her face with the other. It didn’t help. The smell of dead, rotting flesh was buried deep into her nose. It was unlike anything she’d ever smelled before. And she’d stumbled across a half eaten seal one time on the beach. Ford nudged Emily to keep walking. The creatures screamed in the distance but the three ignored them. Fuck their screaming bullshit. Emily really struggled not to scream back at them and instead tried to find the next rift that would hopefully get them out of this hell hole. The rift wasn’t hard to spot thankfully. It was glittering against a large tree.

“At least there’s more coverage this time.” Stan tried to find the silver lining.

“Yes but they know the forest much better than we do. Not to mention they can probably see fairly well in the dark since they keep showing up at night.” Ford immediately dampened the mood. “Let’s just set up the tent and regroup. This rift should be fully formed tomorrow.”

_ As long as it doesn’t vanish _ , Emily told herself bitterly. 

“Can I kill a deer?” Emily asked as the twins fucked with setting the tent up. Hunting a deer and taking the careful time to skin and gut it would give her something to focus on instead of letting the stew of pain and doubts swirl around her head and make her feel numb and fuzzy.

“Be alert.” Was Ford’s only response.

Good enough for Emily. She swung her rifle off her back and set down her backpack near the tent. She finally got to test it out and despite the shitty, paranoid situation it was rather exciting. She crouched into a bush not far from where the tent was located, she didn’t need to travel too far away. The deer had been practically walking across their toes the entire time. A creature screamed, it sounded like it came from the beach they had been calling home for the last few days. It wailed again and there was another scream shortly after. They must have found the leggy creature Ford killed. Emily sucked in a deep breath and steadied herself. A deer sauntered by. She aimed, carefully, took a deep breath and fired on the exhale.

Headshot. It wasn’t hard. The deer was close, unmoving, and her gun had some damn good accuracy. She sighed and got up to get the deer.

“Good shot.” Stan commented as Emily dragged the deer back to the camp.

“Thanks.” The deer wasn’t big, just a fawn, but she couldn’t be picky and she hadn’t seen a buck yet. That was a little odd Emily admitted but this place was full of odd things. And not seeing a buck wasn’t high up on the “I should be worried about this” list.

“Need any help?” Stan asked.

“Um, get some water for me?”

“Sure thing, toots.”

Emily drew out her knife and started to cut into the deer. It was a familiar feeling for her. Cutting the deer, gutting the deer. Stan helped her hold the deer while they bled it. She showed him how to skin the deer. She cut out sections of meat, not being quite as careful as she normally would. They didn’t have the resources to preserve the meat. They had to eat the meat quickly before it spoiled. And even though there were three of them there was more meat on the deer than they could eat before it went bad. Stan helped her find branches that would they could use to skewer and cook the meat.

Once Ford had taken over cooking the meat Emily and Stan washed their hands from the blood and cleaned their knives before they stood watch. The deer had been a nice distraction but now that she had finished…. Her stomach was starting to twist again. Images of the horrors from the last few days were getting to her. Killing that big creature. The leggy creature… the disgusting mutilated bodies. God. It was too much. She felt like she could hurl at any moment. Her head was dizzy and lightheaded if she didn’t focus on something besides all the blood, guts, and maggots she’d seen recently.

“It’ll be ok,” Stan rubbed her shoulder, “alright, toots?”

She nodded numbly. Stan continued to rub her shoulder. It was a mindless task that calmed Emily. The screaming in the distance no longer sent panic down Emily’s spine. She had a gun. She had Stan and Ford. They knew what they were facing. It was less intimidating. Still the group didn’t linger outside the tent after the meat had been cooked. The three curled up together inside the tent and the familiar furs.

“Hey,” Emily mumbled against Ford’s shoulder while he wrote in his journal.

“Hm?”

“Why am I always in the middle?”

“Because you’re hot as hell.”

“Ha-ha, very funny.” Emily said without a hint of amusement in her voice.

“He’s right actually.” Ford admitted. “You emit heat like a furnace during the night.”

“Oh.” Emily’s face flushed unsure what to do with the information. “You’re welcome?”

“It is very nice.”

“Fordsy is always cold.” Stan teased his twin. “‘Sides, it’s harder to get frisky if I can’t touch ‘im.”

Ford groaned and closed his journal. “You would still find a way.”

“With me in the middle?” Emily squeaked.

“You would like it, toots.” Stan winked at her causing her blush that had been disappearing to come back full force.

“Stanley, please.” Ford sighed.

Emily sighed as well but not because of what Stan said. “So,” she spoke slowly, “do you guys really not care that I’m, uh, cuddly?” She asked. She’d been feeling awkward about it but they hadn’t complained or pushed her away. It was a simple comfort for her and she knew she had a tendency to hug people in her sleep. Stan also had a habit of snuggling her in the morning.

“Not at all.” Ford said calmly. She sighed and set her head on the back of his shoulder.

“Nope.” Stan wrapped his arms around her waist and set his own head on her back.

Her heart fluttered at the close contact and finally feeling better about her cuddly nature. Ford probably felt it. She tried not to think about it as she let herself drift asleep. They no longer cared about setting up watch. They were all quick draws, Stan and Ford more so, and they weren’t afraid. Maybe it was a bad thing. Maybe they were just tired of the screaming things. Emily woke up in a cold sweat. She dreamed about mangled, mutilated bodies. Blood and guts coated everything. Flies buzzed and maggots squirmed trying to find more flesh to eat. She shuddered and squeezed her eyes shut trying to calm herself. Ford wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back into the furs.

“You ok?” He mumbled, his voice sleepy.

“Mhmm.” She nodded against him.

“Wuz goin’ on?” Stan mumbled.

“Nightmare.” Emily replied. “But, I have a question…”

“Too early fer questions.” Stan grunted.

“Where are the humans coming from?”

The tent got quiet. Eerily quiet. Where were the humans coming from? Despite being decomposed and mutilated the bodies they’d come across where human. At least that’s what Emily assumed.

“Good question.” Ford stated.

The three hummed in unison before someone screamed in the distance.

“For the love of  _ God _ could they shut up?” Stan groaned. “This whole creepy, paranoid forest shit is getting real fucking old.”

“Tomorrow the rift will form and we’ll leave.” Ford replied calmly. “Just try and get some sleep. Don’t worry about it.” Emily wanted to know where the humans were coming from but she didn’t want to stay around and find out… or end up dead and decomposing.

\--

Just when Emily thought she’d seen it all the forest gave her one last surprise. Another thumping noise filled the forest. Emily just took out her rifle off her back and kept an eye out. It was just going to be another leggy monster that they could shoot at and be done with it all. The rift was almost formed and they were just done with the forest. Instead of being a leggy monster it was the opposite. Far too many arms and a tall pale torso. It swung the arms back and forth as it sauntered through the woods. If Emily didn’t have a gun or the twins nearby she might have actually been afraid. Sure the initial shock was something interesting, but Stan just lifted his gun and shot at the thing until it collapsed with a goan.

“Fucking mutant bullshit.” Stan was sick and tired of this place. He’d shot a warning shot at some cannibals in the morning. Screw being quiet. These things screamed all the damn time. They knew where they were hiding. If they wanted to come kill the wanderers they would have done it by now.

The rift cracked. They had been packed and ready. Ford nibbled on some meat while they waited. He scribbled in his journal, glancing at the arm-y thing every so often. Emily didn’t think the weird things were worth a page in her precious journal. Ford however had documented everything that had happened, every creature they’d seen so far. Emily liked flipping through the journal and hearing the stories of the creatures. The twins had seen a lot in the last decade. It was almost like a weird bedtime story or spooky campfire story when the twins told her one of their many adventures.

“Ready?” Stan asked. The rock he’d tossed into the rift hadn’t come back. They assumed it was safe. Emily didn’t want the rift to vanish like the other one and trap them here any longer. Still, she slipped her hand into Ford’s and pulled him towards the rift. The weird feeling from going through dimensions was still making Emily sick. She wondered if she’d ever get used to it or if she’d end up loving it like Stan did.

Her head was spinning when she landed on solid ground. She leaned against Ford and tried to gather herself as quickly as she could. Ford exhaled loudly beside her. She blinked her eyes and looked around.

“ _ Oh… _ ” She sighed taking it in.

Magic was the first thing Emily thought of. Sacred came next.

The grass was a blueish green, the trees were a pale grey color but the leaves were so colorful. Some trees had bright blue leaves and others had purple and a small handful had deep green leaves. Long vines with flowers of all different colors hung from the tree tops. Flowers were scattered all around the ground and Emily swore she saw glitter in the air as some blossoms fell from a nearby tree. It took her breath away to see all the beautiful colors. The sky was a soft lilac color, giving everything a surprisingly pleasant haze. Everything was so peaceful and calm. A few birds chirped in the distance and the leaves rustled with a gentle wind. Emily sucked in a deep breath, the place smelled sweet and floral. She wanted to stay here forever. Granted this place didn’t turn into a nightmare like the last one.

“This is quite the place.” Stan didn’t seem as in love with the place as Emily was.

“Yea.” She breathed, her eyes trying to take in as much information as she could. It was so beautiful. Emily wanted to take out her journal and sketch right now.

“Let’s go to the next rift.” Ford cupped Emily’s elbow and pulled her forward. “Though, as long as this place doesn’t turn into a nightmare…” He trailed off.

Nobody argued and they walked in silence. Emily gaped at everything trying to imprint everything into her memory. It was just beautiful. They even walked past a little pond with cerulean water that sparkled like it was mixed with glitter. The ground was lush, covered in thick grass and beautiful flowers. Emily paused to smell a flower, it smelled like sweet peas but not exactly it was even more sweet than a sweet pea. She wanted to smell every flower but first was finding the rift and setting up camp nearby. They’d brought the tattered tent from the forest with them because they didn’t have anything besides the furs and blankets. Before Emily arrived the twins didn’t have enough room for it, they barely had room for the blankets, but now with her extra backpack they could carry the little tent and extra supplies. Win-Win for everyone.

The rift was hard to locate, if it wasn’t for Ford’s watch they probably wouldn’t have found it. Everything was glittery and shimmery in the magic forest. It was just a small shimmer in the air, it wouldn’t be ready for a few days. Camp was set up quickly, Ford made a fire pit with the few rocks he could find in the area. Emily arranged the furs and blankets in the tent before she dug out her journal and started to draw. She wished she had some colored pencils or anything to add color to her picture. Next time they found a settlement she’d look. For now, she had to settle with trying to show the difference in color with the way she shaded. Thank god for various hatching skills. There was so much to draw too: the different trees, the vines, the pool of glittering water, all the flowers in the world. She was in heaven. And she hadn’t heard a peep of anything that wasn’t chirping birds or her friends.

Wait. Were they her friends? Could she consider them friends? Sure they were all she had but did that make them friends? Did they have anything in common outside of struggling to survive? Did they like her? Or had they just accepted her presence in their lives? No. Emily had to stop the thoughts before they made her doubt too much. It didn’t matter anyways. They were together and they were helping each other stay alive. She and Ford bonded over their art skills and Stan? Well, they liked snuggling? And he made her laugh. Good enough.

Emily huffed, her mind had wandered away from drawing the scenery. She was having doubts about how close she was to the twins and whether or not they actually liked her. They’ve had this conversation before. They’ve talked about it, before she asked about the cuddling. They liked her and she liked them. She considered them friends and she assumed they did for her as well. It didn’t matter.  _ It didn’t matter _ . Emily repeated it to herself as she sulked back to the tent. She didn’t need to be doubting this shit, it was stupid, childish and pointless. What difference did it make what they thought of her? If they didn’t like her they wouldn’t have kept her around as long as they had… or taken such good care of her and protecting her… and helping her with her nightmares. It was stupid to try and label the relationships she had with them. What difference did it make way out here? But she couldn’t stop the doubt and questions from attacking her head. She had always tried to label everything in her life; her sexuality, her relationships, her feelings, everything. It all was neatly organized for a long time until  _ he _ showed up and started a fire inside her that she was still trying to put out. Now, even more so, she struggled to label and organize everything again. That’s why it was so hard to deal with kill someone. She’d never done it before. She’d never been in a situation where it was honestly life or death. She had no idea what to do with the emotions or where to put them so they haunted her just like her doubts about her relationships with the twins.

“You alright, toots?” Stan peeked his head into the tent.

Emily groaned into the blankets.

“You wanna talk about it?”

She groaned again before she tilted her head to the side so she could speak clearly. “Are you and Ford my friends?”

Stan didn’t respond immediately. It made Emily’s heart drop. Instead he slipped into the tent and sat down next to her. “‘Course you’re our friend, toots.”

“Ok, humor me, alright?” She sat up and looked at Stan who nodded. “Say we weren’t stuck in this multiverse crap, alright?” When he nodded she continued, “Say we met on Earth for whatever reason. Would we be friends? Would we get along? I just…  _ God _ this is so stupid.” She huffed and hid her face into her hands.

“Emily, we’d be friends, you’re a sweet girl and just because we’re stuck in this shithole doesn’t mean our friendship isn’t real, ok?” She nodded dumbly. This was a stupid conversation to have and Emily felt ashamed about it. “Now, put those doubts out of your mind, kay, toots?” She nodded again, not looking at Stan. “Toots, honestly, we like you. If we didn’t Ford probably wouldn’t have kept you around, remember?” Emily certainly remembered. Ford didn’t think it was a good idea to keep her around when they first met and she had been quite, ah, forceful in her attempts to convince him to stay. “Just think about that whenever you question whatever it is you’re questioning.”

“What about you?” She asked softly. Sure it was pretty obvious Ford had changed his first opinion of her but Stan was a little harder to pin down. She had nothing to go on with him. He’d been on her side since the start and he had called her pet names and been touchy with her since she showed up. 

“Toots.” Stan gave her a look that said  _ Really? _ Instead of answering with words he pulled Emily into a hug and kissed the top of her head. Emily was thankful her face was hidden from him because she was blushing badly. She felt so safe and  _ so _ loved in his arms as he held her for a moment. “Now, let’s go help Sixer get food ready, ‘kay toots?” 

Emily hummed and took a deep breath before she sat up and crawled out of the tent. Stan got out and patted her shoulder. Emily had to stop this shit. She couldn’t think about Stan in any way that wasn’t platonic. Not only was he taken they didn’t have the time to devote to a relationship. Frankly, she wasn’t even sure how Stan and Ford were together, they hardly had any time to just talk and were pretty much constantly trying to stay alive. Maybe that was it. They decided to say fuck it and just be together and admit it to anyone who asked. It wasn’t any of her business anyways, she just had to stop the stupid crush bullshit on the two of them, particularly Stan. If she didn’t she knew it would only get worse and that didn’t bode well since Stan and her almost always ended up snuggling into the blankets together when they could.

Ugh. Bullshit emotions. Emily just wanted to be able to set them aside and ignore them. There were far more important things to worry about anyways. Even getting colored pencils ranked higher on the “I should worry about this” list than her stupid emotions or crush or friendship dilemmas. She needed colored pencils. She was going to worry about colored pencils for a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The new magical forest is based on the Mystic Grove from the Biomes O' Plenty mod for Minecraft because I think it's absolutely beautiful.
> 
> I should probably add: if you have any questions or whatever you can message me on tumblr. (I'll gladly take prompt/drabble ideas too)  
> heartfeltword.tumblr.com is where you can find me.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A little bit of Stancest fluff! Aaaand more detail about Emily's background so talking about her abuse is a good chunk of this chapter.

After dinner Emily went off to sketch in her journal leaving the Pines twins to have a rare moment of peace. They sat side by side leaning against a large tree as they wrote in their journals. Stan was still thinking about what Emily had talked about earlier. Would they be friends if they weren’t here? It was a stupid question but he liked asking them to Ford all the time. He hoped he’d be friends with her; she was cute and sweet and a great cuddle buddy.

Stan let out a sigh and turned to look at Ford who was sketching the scenery. The light from the setting sun was hitting his face just right making Stan fall in love with him all over again. Ford was just so damn beautiful. Maybe it was a little narcissistic to think Ford was so beautiful because he was almost identical to Stan. Whatever. Ford was handsome as hell. Stan couldn’t stop himself from reaching out and cupping his cheek. Of all the things that had happened to him he was glad Ford was finally with him and with him in the way he had always dreamed about. Though, never in his wildest fantasies did he think he’d be able to just kiss Ford in broad daylight and not have the  _ bullshit _ about incest. He loved Ford plain and simple. And he wanted to kiss him.

“Stanley,” Ford groaned as Stan turned his head. “I’m try-  _ mrph _ .” Stanley wasn’t having any of it. He wanted to kiss Ford. And he could whenever he wanted. So he did. It wasn’t particularly hard but Stan wanted to show Ford how much he loved him. Ford didn’t put up much of a fight, it had been a while since they’d had some peace and quiet to do anything. Their mouths slid together perfectly, they’d had many years - though off and on - to learn how to kiss one another so nice. Ford hummed into the kiss. Stan deepened the kiss, pulling Ford closer so he could slide his fingers into Ford’s soft hair. It was getting pretty long, neither had cut their hair in a while, but Stan liked it because it gave him more to grab on to. His hair was a little greasy though, bathing wasn’t super high on their priority list, though Ford had found some weird ass alien shampoo shit that didn’t need water so they didn’t smell like cavemen, kind of like the weird toothpaste-mouth cleaning shit they had. Still, an actual shower would be heaven. Oh wait, Stan was in heaven right now, kissing his twin.

Ford ended the kiss first, gently pushing Stan back. “Do you think we need to set up a watch here?”

Stan rolled his eyes, of course that was why Ford ended the kiss. Ruined the damn moment. “Nah, I haven’t seen much of anything here. You?”

Ford nodded, “It’s actually rather concerning. I haven’t seen anything. No plants that I know are edible either.”

“We ain’t gonna starve.” Stan rolled his eyes.

“No, not yet. We have our supplies of course, but we can’t stay here long term.”

“Did you want to stay here long term?” Stan asked, quirking an eyebrow. They’d talked about finding a nice dimension and settle down but nothing suited them so far.

“It’s a nice location.” Ford replied dryly. “But without a source of food it’s impossible.”

“We’ve only been here a few hours. Give it some time.” Stan shrugged.

Ford sighed and went back to his drawing. Stan tucked his hands behind his head and relaxed back into the tree. Even if they didn’t stay here forever he was certainly going to enjoy the calm while he could. Definitely beats the last forest place with those freaks and that whole paranoid shit. He could probably get used to this place with the weird ass colors and all but if there wasn’t a way for them to get food reliably there was no point.

“Remember that flower dimension?” Stan asked.

“Yes.”

“That woulda been a nice place to settle down.” The place had been covered in beautiful flowers. Almost like sunflowers but instead of following the sun they followed the nearest heat signature which was Stan and Ford whenever they walked by. It was pretty creepy having flowers tall as Stan’s hip turning towards him. It wasn’t that bad, there were small animals and fruit trees, it was just a little unsettling.

“Except your allergies acted up.” 

Stan blew a raspberry. “What couldn’t handle me sneezing all the damn time? At least I have manly sneezes. You,” Stan smirked at his twin, “sneeze like a kitten.”

Ford rolled his eyes but didn’t argue the fact. 

“That desert wasn’t so bad either.” Stan continued.

“What? You can’t be serious? It was easily 120 degrees every day and at night it barely went below 80!” Ford huffed.

“Yea, but I got to see you practically naked. That was nice.” Stan waggled his eyebrows at his twin.

Ford looked away, his cheeks tinting pink. It had been so hot the twins barely bothered with pants let alone shirts. Though it was too hot to cuddle at night because for the first damn time in their forty-odd years of life Ford wasn’t freezing. There were lizards and birds and weird little mammals that called the desert home and the cactus were full of water to keep them hydrated. It hadn’t been so bad besides the blistering heat that sunburnt the twins for quite some time after they left the desert. He could get used to that heat though, he was sure of it, he’d be able to adjust and fall in love with the way his skin was always so nice and warm. And it wasn’t humid like in Glass Shard Beach so he wasn’t that sticky, sweaty mess. It was just. Hot. Plain and simple. He could learn to live with hot.

“You know where I would have liked to settle down?” Ford asked.

“Hm?” Stan glanced at his twin.

“The Citadel.” Ford turned and glared at Stan. “We had food, a nice place to sleep, plenty of water, and the ability to do jobs and  _ someone _ had to-”

“Woah, woah woah.” Stan cut his twin off. “Don’t you blame that whole mess on me.  _ You _ had been stealing from that museum.”

Ford’s glare only increased. “Yes because  _ you _ had been stealing for at least a week before I did and I  _ knew _ we’d get into to trouble.”

“You just helped us along.” Stan smirked.

“Fine. You should have been stealing and I shouldn’t have been stealing either. Happy? We both ruined our chances.”

“Who knows,” Stan shrugged, “maybe the heat will die down and we can go back. ‘Sides we got sweet ole Emily. Who could refuse her a place t’ stay?”

“Heat will die down,” Ford mocked under his breath, “Because they’re just going to forget you tried to steal a portal gun  _ and _ punched a space cop in the face.”

“Says the guy who stole a stupid infinity sided die  _ knowing _ it’s banned in how many dimensions? Besides! That cop had it coming.” Stan defended himself causing Ford to laugh. Stan couldn’t help but smile. Ford had such a nice laugh when he actually laughed, all nice and musical like. It had been far too long since Stan had heard him laugh, there wasn’t too much to laugh about when they were fighting to survive. Ford let out a deep sigh before he leaned his head onto Stan’s shoulder. It was such a simple gesture but it made Stan’s heart flutter. He put his arm around Ford’s shoulder and held him close. They sat in silence for a while just enjoying the peace; a soft breeze rustled the leaves around them while the bird chirped in the distance. He could stay here for a while.

Emily showed up and said nothing when she saw the twins sitting together. Stan noticed how pink her cheeks were though. “So,” Emily sat down near Stan, “I’ve walked all over this forest and I haven’t seen a damn thing for food. Nadda.”

“That’s the only downside.” Ford sighed as he sat up away from Stan. “We have food for a while but I’d like to be able to not eat all our rations because we like the way this place looks.”

“It’s just weird.” Emily frowned. “Where are the birds that keep chirping? I mean I climbed a freakin’ tree to see if I could see anything.”

“We’ll be fine. Just enjoy the peace while we’re here.”

Stan sure as hell was going to enjoy the peace, it felt nice to relax his old body. He sighed deeply and leaned back into the tree behind him. At least for a little while he could pretend everything was good.

\--

Ford woke up bright and early and whispered to his twin, who was half asleep, that he was going out to explore and he’d be back later. Stan just grunted and tugged his personal furnace closer. Ford slipped out of the tent and his footsteps disappeared into the forest. Stan sighed. Emily hadn’t woken up yet, despite the noise and Ford shifting around next to her, it was too early for her to wake up. She hummed in her sleep and nestled into Stan’s chest. He was too awake now to go back to sleep, he cursed Ford, but at least he had Emily to snuggle with.

He brushed her hair out of her face and smiled at her. Her freckles were getting more pronounced now that she was spending more time in the sun. The little chubbiness in her cheeks was still there but not quite as plump and her hair was almost always a wild tangle of loose curls around her face now. His thumb brushed across a scar on her cheek, it was very faint but now that her skin was starting to tan it was showing up more. Stan didn’t remember her getting hit in the face so it must have been before she came into the rift. His face scrunched as he wondered if it was that pathetic ex boyfriend who hurt her.

Emily shifted and opened her big grey eyes to blink lazily up at Stan. She had the softest smile on her face like Ford used to when they were teenagers and had dared to sleep in the same bed all night long.

“Good morning, toots.”

Emily giggled and buried her face back into Stan’s chest to mumble her good morning back.

“Have a good sleep?”

She nodded slowly before she pulled back and looked up at Stan. “Did I do the right thing?”

“The right thing?” Stan repeated not sure what she meant.

“Killing that… thing… back in the forest.”

“Yer still thinkin’ ‘bout that?” To Stan it felt like it happened years ago but then again he’d killed before and he’ll kill again. Shooting something was second nature if it meant he could survive. Emily wasn’t him though. “Toots, you had to. You know that.”

“I just keep hearing it screaming.” Emily mumbled. “I dunno… when I was fighting it I just… I told myself it wasn’t a person that it was a tree and it was… really easy to kill it.” She hid her face back into Stan’s chest. “I don’t want to be a murderer.”

“Toots,” Stan said softly unsure what he could say at this point. “Ya had t’ kill it and your body just made it easier for ya. Yea, you feel guilty about it but you’ll learn to accept it and move on. I hate t’ be a downer but you’re going to kill again. There’s no avoidin’ that out here.” Emily stiffened. “It doesn’t make you a bad person though if that’s what yer so worried about.”

Emily sighed but didn’t say much else.

“It gets easier. I promise. I was homeless for a while, conning people for money, I guess I’ve always been a bad guy.” Stan shrugged. “I did what I had to in order to get food in my belly. Desperate times call for desperate measures even if I ended up in jail a few times.”

“What was jail like?”

“Cold.” Stan shrugged again. “It wasn’t too bad though, I had a bed to sleep in and a toilet to piss in.” Emily gave him a disgusted face. “In Columbia though it was pretty shit, made a few good friends there… got myself into more trouble. Eh. Misery loves company right?”

Emily let out a choked laugh. “Yea, sure does.”

“Tell me more about yourself.” Stan spoke gently. He knew everything about Ford; how he felt as a child, how hurt he was when Stan broke that science fair thing, what Ford did in the decade they were apart, everything. He barely knew a thing about Emily just what she managed to slip and tell after a nightmare or something.

“There’s not much to tell.”

“Oh, c’mon, tell me about little Emily in middle school. What was your favorite subject? That shit.” Stan nudged her earning a warm smile from the girl.

“Little Emily was a nerd in middle school. I was always reading.” Sounded like Ford. “Favorite subject was art of course. I knew when I was little I was going to be an artist. I hated history. I almost failed it once in high school, though part of that was the teacher hated me.” Stan snorted. “Seriously! The teacher was the biggest jerk to me! I swear he’d mark off points in essays and tests because he didn’t like me.”

“What was it like just growing up with your dad?” Stan asked.

Emily shrugged. “I don’t really remember what it was like with my mom and brother around so I don’t have anything to compare it too. Mom left when I was seven and took my brother halfway across the country. We got together for Christmas every year but that was it. My dad was a hard worker, had no idea what it meant to be an artist but he supported me. He helped me buy my art supplies and built me an art easel when I was a kid. He showed me how to hunt and change a tire and all that shit. He always tried his best.”

“He sounded like he loved you.”

Emily nodded, her eyes getting a little teary as she smiled. “He did. He was the best. At least the last thing I said to him was nice. None of that ‘I regret that the last thing we did was fight’ shit.” At least she was lucky there, Stan knew how painful it was to leave someone on bad terms, though he did eventually make up with Ford.

“Tell me about your house.” Stan asked. “You said you had chickens and a garden? And a kitten?” Emily nodded. Stan hoped she was alright to talk about the world she’d lost. Stan had learned to just be blunt about it, he had some good times and some bad times but that was in the past. No use crying over the past. He had the future to look forward too.

Emily started to tell Stan about her little house in the woods. She had a few chickens and a rooster and they loved to follow her around the yard. She had a garden penned off because the chickens kept eating the worms and Emily wanted the worms to help the dirt. Stan learned Emily had rescued the kitten from a dumpster in the spring; someone had left her kitten and its three littermates in a box inside the dumpster to die. Her kitten was the only one alive and just barely made it and had grown up into what sounded like quite the cute cat. Always slept near Emily, followed her around like a dog, came when she called to it. Emily really missed the kitten. Stan could tell all the memories were still very fresh and bittersweet for her, she wasn’t so far removed from her old life that they were distant like they were for Stan. He bet she still remembered how her garden smelled or how her kitten felt. It would take a while for those memories to not cause so much pain.

“You mentioned a roommate right?”

Emily nodded. “We were friends in high school and kept in touch through college. Decided if we lived together rent and that crap would be pretty cheap so we just moved in. Helped me a lot after I broke up with my ex… since I had been living with him for a while.”

“Can you tell me more about him?” Stan asked, trying to approach the topic gently. Whatever that man did to her had really bothered Emily.

“We met at my art school… he was real sweet to me at first. Always opened doors for me and complimented me. Had me wrapped around his finger. I wanted to make him happy. I wanted to be a good girlfriend. He’d always say that to me,” she looked up at Stan with hurt eyes, “he’d tell me ‘you want to be a good girlfriend don’t you?’ to convince me to do something. Started getting bad after like four months… he was telling me I couldn’t hang out with my friends and all this emotional bullshit about needing me around him. I couldn’t do anything without asking him first because he’d cry if I went somewhere and didn’t tell him.” Stan snorted, what a fucking loser. “One time I wanted to go to the movies with another friend and he told me no… but I did it anyway because I wanted to go… when I got home he was waiting for me and he slapped me. First time he laid a hand on me. Said he was so sorry for hitting me but I had worried him so bad he thought I was kidnapped or something.”

Stan felt Emily’s hands start to bunch up his shirt as she told her story. Her eyes started to get a little distant as she told her story. He rubbed her arm, hoping to soothe her, but he wanted to know more. He needed to know more. Who was such a monster they would hurt Emily?

“He was manipulative… he’d convince me to do just about anything and then he’d threaten me if I still refused. I learned pretty quick after that night out to the movies that I had to listen to what he said. He started to get angry over everything. It happened so slowly that I didn’t even realize he wasn’t the same man I started to date. He tried to convince me not to go with my dad on Christmas, he threatened to kill himself if I left him. I put my foot down and told him I was going to see my family since I only saw them at Christmas and I lived with him. He cut me with a knife the day before I left and I had to lie the whole damn time I was away.” She touched the scar on her cheek and sighed. “I almost wish he did kill himself when I left… it only got worse when I returned home and I had nowhere to turn. I felt like I deserved the shit he did to me, I still do sometimes…” She whispered. “I didn’t want to go back home and be a burden on my father who was struggling to keep his head afloat as a fisherman. So I stayed, I stayed so long, he convinced me my friends hated me and that I needed him and he was only doing what I deserved. Finally my friend, the one from high school, mentioned wanting a roommate and it was like someone shook me awake. I could get out. I left him, ended up with a broken arm and pressed charges on him, he can’t come within 300 feet of me anymore. Didn’t stop him from leaving me threatening voicemails and letters. Last letter I got said he was going to come into my room in the middle of the night and torture me and my kitten. Said he’d skin the animal alive before he slit my throat. I went to the ocean to clear my head and focus and, well,” she looked up at Stan with shy eyes, “I’m here now.”

“He sounded like a real asshole.” Stan pulled her into a tight hug. “I’m glad you got out when you did.”

“Me too.” Emily mumbled. “I’m still real damaged though…”

“Hush, you’re perfect.” Stan planted a kiss to the top of her head. “Don’t you believe any shit that fucker told you ok?”

Emily chuckled dryly. “Easier said than done, Stanley.”

“Then just come to me if you need remindin’ of how sweet you are.”

“You’re a good guy, you know that right?”

Stan laughed. Sure he was a good guy who had ruined his brother’s life twice now, had a criminal list a mile long in the multiverse as well as back on Earth. But sure, if Emily thought he was a good guy, he’d be a good guy for her.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dream sequence- a little more graphic abuse - tons of mental abuse/manipulation and dealing with the trauma of said abuse.

_ He was right in her face screaming at her. She’d broken his favorite glass. She was drying the dishes and he slammed a door so hard she jumped and dropped it. He was furious, his nails digging deep into her arm. “Why would you do that? Why do you like to hurt me so much?” His eyes were filled with crocodile tears. “You know how much I loved that glass! You hate me don’t you?” Emily pleaded with him as he started to shake her back and forth. “You hate me! You hate me! After everything I’ve done for you  _ this  _ is how you repay me?” He struck her cheek, crying as he hit her over and over. “How does it make you feel? Huh? You hurt me, Emily! Why would you do that?” Emily was crying now too, pleading that she didn’t mean to that she loved him. “You don’t love me. You don’t love me at all! You’re just using me!” No. No.  _ No! _ He pulled her away from the counter and threw her onto the ground. His foot kicked her hard in the ribs. “After all I do for you! After all I’ve given up for you!” He kicked her again. “Why? Why are you so mean?” _

_ \-- _

Emily woke up before the third kick could land in her rib cage. He bruised the bone with that kick and she struggled to breathe for a week afterwards. Her body was covered in sweat and she could  _ feel _ his fucking hands digging into her arm. No. He was the mean one. She didn’t deserve that. She didn’t. A little voice in the back of her head nagged at her: yes she did deserve it, he loved her and she broke his favorite glass. He was just showing her how hurt he felt. She sucked in deep breaths as she looked around the tent. Both men were gone and for a split second she panicked that something had happened before she heard footsteps in the distance. They were just out taking a walk and they didn’t want to wake Emily. That’s all. They’d be back. Emily let out a long sigh before she crawled out from the tent to stretch her back.

She needed to take a shower, it always calmed her down after a nightmare, but there was no shower in the middle of a magical forest. Emily huffed, wishing for the simple pleasure of hot running water, and settled for washing her clothes. They were stained with blood, dirt and sweat since she hadn’t washed them since Ford bought them for her. There wasn’t really a point and she certainly wasn’t about to strip to her undies in that forest with those  _ things _ . Emily shuddered again as she slipped out of her boots. A lot of the blood on her clothes was from that one she killed. Her mind threatened to shut down and panic over the whole thing all over again.  _ No, not today, _ Emily chided herself as she continued to undress. She did what she had to in order to survive. She would  _ not _ feel bad about killing in self defense.

Once she was in just her undergarments Emily went to the closest pool of water and filled a jug up with water before she started to scrub her clothes with her hands and a little of some weird soap Ford had. It didn’t lather very much but it pulled the blood right out from her clothes. She worked in silence, focusing on making sure each and every stain was removed. It calmed her and focused her thoughts, instead of letting them wander to her abusive ex or the thing she killed she focused on scrubbing her pants clean. She didn’t hear Ford return to the camp. She huffed when she realized her jacket was still torn from that stupid thing, something she’d have to sow up pretty soon as long as Ford had a needle and some thread somewhere.

“Everything alright?” Ford asked. His voice so sudden and unexpected Emily squeaked and pulled her jacket to cover her nearly naked form. Ford wasn’t watching her, he was sitting against a tree writing in his journal. Emily was sure he got an eye full though. Her cheeks turned bright red.

“Uh, yea, just-” She stammered, “I-I, uh, there’s a hole in my jacket.”

“We can sow it up later.” Ford replied. “May I ask what compelled you to wash your clothes? They don’t smell terrible, you know.”

“I know,” Emily sighed, “I, um, just needed something to distract myself and my clothes have been covered in blood and stuff for a while.” She shrugged not that Ford could see it. “Figured since it’s quiet here I should do it.”

“Ah. You make a good point. I should probably wash mine and Stanley’s clothes as well.” He finally turned to look at Emily. She squeaked and covered herself again. His cheeks turned pink and he coughed and looked away, “Sorry, should have given you some warning. But, would you be bothered if I joined you? We, um, should probably get used to this,” he gestured to the air, “because I’m sure there will be-”

“It’s fine.” Emily blurted out. The sooner she adjusted to this the better. Ford was right, this wouldn’t be the last time she needed to wash her clothes. Might as well adjust to the twins seeing her in her undergarments. Ford looked just as awkward though as he took off his jacket and shirt.

Emily gasped. She couldn’t help it. Ford was  _ covered _ in scars and bruises and, holy shit, he was a mess. Ford’s blush got even darker as he coughed awkwardly. “Y-yea, s-sorry, should have warned you. Being in the multiverse for a decade has it’s downsides.” Ford started to bite his lower lip as he fiddled with his shirt. Emily tore her eyes away and looked back to her jacket that had one particularly stubborn stain on the cuff.

Soon they were both kneeling there taking their sweet time cleaning the stains out of their clothes in nothing more than undergarments. Emily couldn’t help herself from stealing glances at Ford as he worked. Scars laced his body and she wanted to ask how he got each and every one. And, despite being almost twice her age, he was in  _ very  _ good shape and Emily couldn’t help but watch how his muscles moved as he worked. No. Stop that. _ Focus on cleaning dirt out of your pant leg _ , Emily told herself with a stern voice. She couldn’t gawk at Ford, that would be rude, and she couldn’t allow herself to have any feelings for him. Ford was much older than she was and he was in love with someone else.

“Woah! Why wasn’t I invited to this party?” Stan had returned, he didn’t hide the fact that he was looking them both over with a wide grin.

Ford and Emily blushed and looked away. Ford was the first to recover and glare at his twin, “Are you going to clean your clothes too or just gawk at us?”

“I do like the view.” Stan contemplated as he looked Ford over. “I’ll join ya, can’t have my clothes smelling bad when you two got clean clothes. You won’t wanna cuddle me anymore.” Ford rolled his eyes but Stan undressed and joined them. Emily was feeling so damn uncomfortable now. She didn’t expect to be sitting practically naked next to equally naked twins. Stan sat next to Emily and she noticed he was covered in scars too.

“How did you guys get so many scars?” Emily asked. Sure Ford answered but he was vague and she wanted to know more. Besides, if she could focus on their words and individual scars she wouldn’t feel so awkward looking them over and being nearly naked next to them.

Stan shrugged. “Could ask you the same question, toots.”

Emily furrowed her eyebrows before she looked down at her body. Her scars never went away. She had just gotten so used to the discolored marks she forgot that they weren’t something she was born with. “Oh. My ex did the majority of them,” She ran a finger over a cut near her ribs, “though not all of them. My kitten had some sharp claws.” Though the scars from her kitten were mostly around her arms. Everywhere else was caused by him. Burns, bruises that never really went away, cuts of all shapes and sizes. Though the stretch marks on her tummy were from her rapid change from being a scrawny little kid to a plump teenager. She had kind of sugar coated how much he physically hurt her when she talked to Stanley. She didn’t like thinking about it, the constant reminders of what he did to her, because she still struggled with understanding that she didn’t deserve them.

“What about this one?” Stan pointed to a circular mark on her hip.

“Cigarette burn.” Emily replied with a shrug.

“And this?” He pointed to a series of scars on her forearm.

“I, uh, fell into some broken glass.” Lie. She had accidentally stained one of his shirts and he got angry and broke a picture frame and shoved her into it making sure he cut her skin up as he did so. 

“What about that one?” Stan’s fingers touched ever so slightly along her back.

She didn’t need to see it to know what he was asking about. “Hit me with a belt a few too many times.” Left a series of gashes that never healed right along her back. He claimed it was some kinky bedroom fun but he wouldn’t stop when she started screaming. He didn’t stop until her back was soaked in blood and she was a sobbing, shaking mess.

Stan frowned. “If I ever get the chance to meet this guy… he’ll look worse than me.” He pointed to his scar covered body.

“You don’t have to do that, it’s ok. It happened and I’m here now. I’m ok.” She shrugged trying to lighten the situation. She didn’t like all the talk about beating the shit out of her ex. Sure he was a pretty fucked up guy but… she deserved it didn’t she? At least a little bit anyways. “So what about you? What’s that scar?” Emily turned the tables and pointed to what looked like someone crosshatched Stan’s skin near his collarbone.

Stan told her an exaggerated tale about a flesh eating plant. She asked about different scars and the twins told her stories about the crazy dimensions they’d been in. A giant squid had latched onto Ford’s side scaring him with weird little circular marks on his ribs. A jellyfish like alien didn’t want Stan to leave giving him vine line scars on his upper arm from the jelly’s poisonous tentacles wrapped around him. Emily kept her stories short not wanting to go into a lot of detail of how  _ exactly _ she received each one.

“What about that one?” Emily asked, her fingers tracing the pale blue tattoo on Stan’s shoulder. It was simple but far more intricate than any scar the three had. “Is this a tattoo?” The air shifted. Emily sensed it and looked at Ford who wouldn’t meet her gaze.

“That, uh,” Stan cleared his throat, “that’s actually a burn. Got it right before Ford and I fell into the multidimensional portal Ford made.”

Emily looked between the two wanting to know more.

“You remember how I told you I was kicked out?” Stan asked.

Emily nodded. She’d been told how Stan screwed up some project Ford had worked on and was thrown out. She knew they were fairly young when it happened too but she always assumed they’d joined back up later because of how much they loved one another. She assumed Stan got himself into trouble around Ford, ended up in jail with Ford to bail him out.

“Well, for over a decade we never spoke.”

“I know I was still angry at you.” Ford whispered.

“And I was angry at you too, Sixer.” Stan replied. There was no venom in either’s voice. They’d spent a lot of time arguing about it. “Anyways, after a decade I get this postcard from Fordsy here that just said ‘Please come’... and I did. I dropped everything and went t’ road kill county Oregon. Middle of nowhere because I thought Ford was finally going to take me back.”

“I, um, had built a portal and realized it was a terrible idea. I couldn’t trust anyone but Stanley,” Ford said slowly, “so I asked him to come see me just so I could give him one of three journals that described how to operate the portal. I told him to get far away from me.”

“We ended up fighting.” Stan shrugged, his eyes lingering on the pair of pants in his hands. “He ended up shoving me into his desk that had this hot bit and it burned that mark into my shoulder.”

“I still feel bad about that.” Ford barely whispered.

“Well, it happened, we ended up activating that stupid portal in our fight and Ford started to fall in but I’d be damned if I let my twin disappear. It was the whole reason we were fighting in the first place cuz I didn’t want to leave him ever again. So,” Stan shrugged and smiled at Emily but it was a bittersweet smile, “I jumped in after him and we ended up here.”

Emily had so many questions. She hadn’t really asked about their lives especially before they ended up here, it hadn’t seemed too important but now she wanted to know everything. She tried to prioritize her questions but ended up blurting out, “How’d you make a whole portal yourself?”

Ford blinked, taken aback by her outburst. “I had help.”

“He’s a genius.” Stan huffed.

“Ah, actually, you remember I didn’t just have Fiddleford working with me.” Ford started to look very uncomfortable. “I had help besides him… I made a deal with a demon.”

“Bill what’s-his-name.” Stan waved his hand nonchalantly.

“It’s more serious than that Stanley! Bill used me to make the portal so he could have a way to enter into our dimension. And if he did our world, our  _ universe _ , would be destroyed.” Ford glared at Stan, “I was trying to protect the world when I found out that Bill was using me. That’s why I called you and told you to take the journal away.”

“Yea, well why couldn’t you have gone with me? Taken down that stupid journal and left?” Clearly this was one scar that hadn’t healed. Emily sat helpless as the two argued.

“You know that wouldn’t have been possible, Stanley! Bill could still enter my mind which meant if I knew where to find all the journals he would too!” Ford groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “It doesn’t matter. We’re stuck here now, which means that, hopefully, Bill won’t be able to reactivate that portal somehow and destroy our dimension.”

“Yup, whatever.” Stan shrugged. “Not like we’re going back there any time soon.”

Ford glared at Stan.

“S-so,” Emily wanted to calm the two of them down, it was making her real uncomfortable to have the two arguing so loud right next to her. Arguing meant that she would get hurt. She was afraid one would turn on her and no matter how loud her mind screamed that neither twin would  _ ever  _ lay a hand on her like that she couldn’t deny how afraid she was. “C-can one of you help me set up a line to dry our clothes?”

That seemed to draw them from their argument, their shoulders relaxed but they wouldn’t look at one another. Ford was the first to get up and help Emily tie a rope between two trees. They hung all the clothes in silence so the wind would dry them. Until then, the three retreated into the tent since it was fairly cold outside. It felt strange, very strange actually, to be under the covers with the twins when they weren’t wearing much clothing. Usually they slept fully dressed, boots quite often included, in case they were woken up and needed to run for their lives. Here felt safe but they hadn’t ever taken off more than their boots and jackets. Emily hid her face in Stan’s chest trying to ignore the fact that his chest hair was tickling her face. It was weird but she liked it. Her fingers traced scars along Stan’s chest as the three settled in with one another. Ford draped an arm over side and kept close to her. He was freezing. Emily hadn’t noticed just how cold he was but he was a freaking icicle. She shivered. 

Stan took her knee in his hand and pulled it up around his hip. Emily had been trying to avoid cuddling too much feeling highly embarrassed but Stan didn’t care. His hand lingered on her knee, thumb brushing her bare skin. She felt her face heat up even more. It had been a long time since anyone had seen her this vulnerable. Even her ex didn’t get to see her so open and embarrassed because that meant he’d find a weak point to poke at and dig at.

“You ok, toots?” Stan asked softly.

“Y-yea, just, um, not used to this.” She said lamely.

“You should get used to it.” Stan teased, his voice low and husky.

“Stanley please.” Ford swatted Stan’s arm. Stan just gave his twin a wide grin.

“Ford?”

“Yes, Emily?”

“We’re not the first humans in the multiverse right?” Ford hummed and Emily continued. “So why did Bill need you to make a portal? Couldn’t he find a rift?” Emily wasn’t sure who this Bill person was or why Ford was so afraid but she figured he had a damn good reason. She trusted him.

Ford sighed, his fingers twitching against her bare stomach as he thought. He spoke slowly and softly when he managed to organize his thoughts, “Bill wanted a permanent portal… that and the portal I made was much larger than the rifts and even the portals that can be created by portal guns. It would have probably cracked and torn a hole through our dimension. Bill could take that rip and tear our world apart and he’d be able to bring anyone through the portal that he wanted into our dimension. He and some of the others from his dimension are too large to travel through the rifts. It wouldn’t be safe for him to travel to our dimension… and there’s no telling if a rift would lead him to Earth or not.”

“Ah.” Emily mumbled, her mind growing tired from trying to sort everything out. She had a feeling Ford was simplifying everything, there was a lot more involved with interdimensional travel than she could even comprehend. She just knew she was stuck here for a very long time and that whoever this demon was he wouldn’t be able to get into her home dimension and destroy everything she loved for good.

“Gonna take a nap?” Stan teased, his voice light. “Did Poindexter bore you to sleep?”

“No.” Emily huffed. “Just, been a long day… had a bad nightmare this morning actually.”

Stan’s hand twitched around her knee. “Oh yea?”

“Yea, fucking ex boyfriend and his bullshit.” She grumbled. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.”

“Fair enough.” Stan shrugged and resumed rubbing her skin with his thumb.

The tent fell quiet for a while. Just the sound of the three wanderers breathing, the soft breeze rustling the leaves and their clothes outside, the crinkle of the tent when a breeze hit it just the right way. It was… peaceful. Emily sighed and started to relax, her eyes drooping threatening to close completely. She didn’t want to take a nap but she fell asleep regardless.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I picked Emily to explain the whole Bill thing because she wouldn't care too much about the details (so I wouldn't have to care too much about the details but I hope it still makes sense).
> 
> As always, you can find me at heartfeltword.tumblr.com if you have any questions or whatnot. I'll also take drabble ideas over there because I need to take breaks from writing this fic every so often.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stancest fluff because this fic needs more of it (but it's so hard to find a good place to add it in)

Ford woke up surprisingly cold, he reached his arms forward to tug his furnace closer but found nothing but soft furs. His eyes sprang open as his mind scrambled trying to find where Emily went. Was she ok? Was she dead? Stanley grumbled in his sleep, wrapping an arm around the older twin before tugging him back into the warm covers.

“Stanley, stop,” Ford shoved against his twin trying to find Emily.

“She’s fine.” Stan grumbled as he wrapped a leg around Ford to keep him still. “Woke me up sayin’ somethin’ ‘bout wantin’ t’ climb a tree. Crazy monkey girl. She can handle herself.”

Ford shifted, wanting to relax but he wanted to make sure Emily was ok. He had always been the first one up and it felt almost terrifying that she wasn’t asleep curled against him or Stanley.

“Stop movin’, Sixer, yer lettin’ th’ cold in.” Stanley tucked Ford’s head under his chin and wrapped him up in his arms. “Go back t’ sleep.” Stan grunted.

The older twin sighed but started to relax. Emily could handle herself. She’d proven that to him a few times and he was pretty sure he’d be able to hear her if she screamed. And, Ford had to admit, he wanted to hold Stan close for a little while. It had been a very long time since the two had been arm in arm under the blankets. Stan still smelled the same as Ford hid his face in his twin’s chest. Their bodies fell together like perfect puzzle pieces, there was no awkward fumbling with limbs anymore, no more elbows to the face or kicks to the shin. Something they had yet to achieve with Emily. Being like this, wrapped up so nice and warm in Stanley’s arms, made Ford’s head fuzzy. He was too comfortable and felt too safe but he didn’t want to fight the feeling. Stan would make sure they both stayed safe even though it should be - it usually was - the older twin’s job. Stan got reckless and let his emotions take control leading him into dangerous situations, one of the main reasons they were wanted. 

That was a problem for later. Right now Ford just wanted to sleep. He looped an arm around Stan and held him close. Stan sighed into Ford’s hair as the two started to drift into sleep. Ford’s mind didn’t want to shut down though. It decided to dredge up some old memories. And Ford couldn’t do much besides hope for sleep to come quickly.

\--

When Ford and Stan were younger, quite a bit younger honestly, they would often find themselves in each other’s bed after a nightmare. They always had a close bond and always found comfort within the arms of each other. It wasn’t until they were about to hit their almost teenage years that they started hearing the comments of disgust at how close they were. It was unnatural for them to get along so well. It was weird that they still held hands when they were scared or walking in the dark. It was weird that they were often found by their parents the morning after one had a nightmare completely tangled together. Ford started to believe the feelings he had for Stan were wrong and continued to shove Stan further and further away. Despite feeling like he was a disgusting person he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about his twin, he loved his twin and he missed his twin’s comfort when he had a bad nightmare even if they were teenagers. They had a bond nobody could begin to understand, especially Ford and he was frightened by it. 

Stan convinced Ford to kiss him when they were teens. Stan convinced him to sleep with him. Stan convinced Ford it was ok and that they loved one another. Stan convinced Ford that what they had wasn’t disgusting or taboo at all. Stan convinced Ford to stay with him. And Ford believed it all until he caught Stan necking with a girl at school. Stan said it was just to keep a cover that he wasn’t gay because their parents were already suspicious of Ford and hadn’t taken too kindly to the idea that one of their children could be gay. It hurt Ford deeply. If Stan loved him so much why would he do something like that? Especially at school where Ford could stumble across them like he did? Ford felt so betrayed.

So, Ford disowned Stan, forced him away, allowed himself to get  _ furious _ at Stan over a simple accident and hold a grudge for  _ years _ . It hadn’t been easy being apart from Stan. He still loved Stan and Stan swore up and down that he still loved Ford. But it was easier being angry than to forgive Stan and let him back into his life. How stupid and shallow could Ford be? He literally left his twin behind and never once looked back at where the other half of his dynamic duo was. Ford didn’t deserve Stan but they had come together again. They’d worked a whole lot out and what they couldn’t was something they tried to avoid. It worked. And now they had Emily in the mix who was so laid back about everything but Ford could see there were scars deep in her skin. Her ex had done a number on her like Stan had emotionally when Ford was young. Only Ford didn’t want Emily to  _ ever  _ see the man that hurt her again.

“Whacha thinkin’ ‘bout?” Stan murmured, his voice sleepy as he started to wake up.

“You. Me. Emily. Everything.” Ford whispered back.

Stan hummed and planted a kiss on Ford’s head. “You should stop worryin’ ‘bout all that mess. We were both stupid little shits as kids.”

“How’d you know that’s what I was thinking about?”

“I’m your twin, Poindexter, I can tell what you’re thinkin’ ‘bout.”

“I doubt that, Stanley.”

“Just shut up.” Stan grumbled. “I know you know but… I am sorry about all the shit that happened between us.”

“Stanley Pines apologizing for something?” Ford gasped, “Can I get that in writing?”

Stan grumped and dug his knuckles into Ford’s scalp. “Shut yer mouth, Sixer.”

Ford squirmed in his brother’s grasp trying to stop the horrible noogie from messing his hair up anymore. “Stanley, please!”

“Nope. Sorry bro-bro.” Stan teased. Ford’s dark thoughts from earlier disappeared as he and his twin wrestled and struggled under the covers together. They were pretty evenly matched now-a-days which made Ford rather proud. He’d always been the weaker of the two, though he did quite a number on Stan when they fought in his lab. Now Stan was honestly struggling to keep Ford at bay as they rolled around grunting at one another trying to pin the other down.

“You two havin’ sex in there?” Emily called from outside the tent.

Ford couldn’t stop himself from laughing. His whole body slumped on top of Stan who grunted loudly. “Sixer, what the  _ fuck _ have you been eating lately? You’re so fat! You’re gonna crush me! Emily! Help!” Stan shoved on Ford’s shoulders trying to push him away. Ford was laughing so hard. It was just too perfect. It felt right. It felt good. It made his heart warm. 

“No, we’re not.” Ford called before he finally slid off of Stan. The younger twin exhaled loudly being over dramatic about being able to breathe again. Emily entered and smiled at the two breathless twins before she flopped in between them and squirmed into a comfortable position. He draped an arm around Emily’s side, his knuckles brushing against Stanley’s stomach as the younger twin did the same. Emily let out a contented sigh.

“The rift is almost formed.” She whispered. “I don’t want to leave.”

Sweet moment almost ruined.

“We have to.” Ford sighed. “There’s no food here.”

“I know, it’s just…. It’s so pretty here… I wish I had some colored pencils… there’s only so much an artist can do with just a pencil.”

“Hm, maybe next time we find a settlement.”

“For now, we should probably pack up if that portal is almost ready. Don’t want it to just disappear on us again.” Emily nodded but nobody moved. They were too comfortable. Ford felt if he moved the sweet moment would be over. Who knew what they would find through the rift. Who knew when the twins would be able to goof off again. Ford didn’t want to leave either but he had to be realistic. They couldn’t stay here and it was a fact. Yes, Ford nodded to himself, he had to look at the facts and put away his emotions. They needed a reliable source of food and they couldn’t find that here so they would have to move on. There would be time for goofing off in another dimension and as long as he kept Stan and Emily safe they’d always have one another at least. They just had to take a leap into the unknown and hope everything worked out because they couldn’t stay naive forever.

\--

It took the three quite some time to pack up, the rift wasn’t ready yet so they didn’t need to hurry. Emily took one last quick walk around the forest and scribbled some notes into her journal trying to remember everything she could about the forest. She didn’t want to leave, she felt safe here. When she returned to the camp Ford and Stan were finishing filling her backpack with the gear. They knew exactly how to use every ounce of space inside the backpack and they needed that space.

“Ready?” Stan asked as he handed her the backpack. Emily nodded and tossed it over her shoulder before she slung her rifle over her shoulder. Her other weapons were never too far away if she ever took them off but the rifle was a bit too much sometimes. Ford and Emily linked hands without a word and waited for Stan to toss a rock into the rift. Emily took a deep breath and the two went through the portal together.

Emily wrinkled her nose when her feet found mostly solid ground. It smelled disgusting like mud and ocean and seaweed. Her eyes blinked away the blurriness caused by going through the rift. First she did was look to the ground to find out why it wasn’t solid. It was squishy mud that her feet were slowly sinking into. So much for her clean boots. She looked up and her jaw dropped. She was home. It was Maine. It  _ had  _ to be. Rocky coastline, salty ocean, stinky mudflats, tall pine trees. The bitter chill in the air was just like home. It smelled just like her home did. Her heart swelled inside her chest, she was home! She was home!

“Ford. Ford.” She tugged on his sleeve as she started to look around more frantically. “This is Maine! It has to be! It just has to be!” She sloshed through the mud as she walked around. The pine trees were skinny after being worn down by the harsh winds of the area, the rocks were covered in the greenish moss she was used to and they were absolutely granite rocks. Her heart was hammering as she spun in circles.

“Emily…” Ford said slowly as he reached for her. “I don’t think this is Maine.”

“Why not?” She turned on him angry that he was crushing her dream. “Have you ever been to Maine?”

“No, but I have,” Stan piped up, “and this isn’t it, toots.”

“Yes it is!” She growled. This was her home. She knew it. She could feel it in her bones.

“Emily. Look.” Ford grabbed her elbow and tugged her back towards him. He pointed into the sky and Emily’s heart dropped when she noticed the three white moons against the pale blue sky. Not Maine. Not Earth.  _ Not home _ .

“No…” Emily’s shoulders dropped as she felt the urge to cry. For a split second she believed she was home; that she could hug her kitten and her best friend and tell her father just how much she loved him. And now that was all ripped away. It hurt like someone ripped a bandaid off her forearm. She felt hollow inside. She wanted to collapse into the mud and scream and cry. She was stupid, so stupid, for thinking this was home even for a second.

“It’ll be ok.” Stan pulled Emily into a hug. That caused the tears to start rushing down her face. She wanted this nightmare to be over. She wanted to wake up in a hospital and be told she was in a coma for a few days and Ford and Stan and the whole multiverse was just because of some fucked up side effect of the meds she was on. “C’mon let’s get out of this mud before it soaks us to the bones ok?”

Emily nodded and pulled away to dry her face. She knew personally how much it sucked to be out in the cold with wet feet. “Just be careful, kay? If this mudflats is anything like Maine you could find a pit, kinda like quicksand.” The twins nodded and the three split up so the mud wouldn’t sink quite as fast. Nostalgia washed over Emily as she sloshed through the mud, she’d gone to the mudflats once before with her dad to dig for blood worms. It was no walk in the park, her whole body ached from being bent at the waist all day knee deep in thick mud but she made a nice paycheck that day. The mud made disgusting squishy, sloppy sounds as they trudged along. Her pants were soaked with mud and she was already starting to feel numb in her legs from the cold.

Out of the corner of her eye Emily watched Stan take a step and then sink in up to his waist. Stan swore and started to thrash. Emily turned and started barking orders. “Stan! Stop struggling you’ll only fall in deeper! Ford get a branch or a stick or something we have to pull him out.” Ford scrambled to the coastline, they had almost made it out but Stan had to find a mud pit to fall into. Stan was breathing heavily, clearly being guided by his panic. “Stan, calm down, you’ll be ok. Try and get on your stomach and wiggle forward ok?” Stan nodded but he was still panicking. Emily tried to swallow her own panic. If he got wet and couldn’t warm up he’d get hypothermia quick, and she had heard many stories of the sheer terror of falling into a mud pit. It felt like a bottomless pit and that was terrifying.

“Here.” Ford returned with a large, long branch. “Stanley, grab onto this and we’ll pull you out.” Stan scrambled towards the branch. His hands were covered in mud and his fingers slipped a few times before he managed to get a good hold and tug himself forward out of the pit.

“Watch your footing.” Emily told Ford as she grabbed onto the branch and started to pull. Stan was heavy and he was weighed down by the mud clinging to his body, Ford and Emily’s boots sunk into the mud trying to get a decent footing. Once they got him almost out of the mud Emily left Ford’s side and went to pull Stan up. He was covered in mud right up to his shoulders. “C’mon, we’ll get to the shore and we’ll get a fire going to warm you up. Ok?” Stan nodded, his whole body shivering as he leaned into Emily for support. Ford helped and they got Stan to the coastline. Emily sat him down and pulled off his boots before draping him in blankets from her backpack. Ford started a fire as quickly as he could. Emily rubbed Stan’s shoulders hoping he’d warm up soon.

“J-j-j-jesussss.” Stan’s teeth chattered as he tried to warm up.

“Hush, you’re ok, we’ll get you warmed up.” Emily tried to keep him calm.

Ford finished the fire and he and Emily set to work on setting up the tent so Ford could continue to rub his twin’s shoulders. Stan needed to warm up and that took priority over finding the next rift. Emily shoved the blankets into the tent and grabbed Stan.

“Should we take his clothes off?” Emily asked looking to Ford as Stan shivered in her arms. Ford nodded and they set to work taking off his pants and shirt before pushing him inside the tent. “Can you get those dry?” Emily asked, “I’m gonna try and warm Stan up.”

“Yes, please do.” Ford was always too fucking cold and would only make the situation worse. She crawled into the tent, slipped from her outer layers of clothing, and scooped Stan into her arms. It felt strange holding him so close, usually she was curling into him not the other way around. He felt like an oversized child, shivering against her. That was unimportant. He needed to get warm. He was even colder than Ford was but Emily tried not to think about it as she rubbed his back. 

“You’ll be ok.” Emily murmured.

“T-t-t-that wasssssss….” Stan stammered.

“Don’t bother talking, knucklehead.” Emily teased, ruffling his hair using that little nickname Ford always used. “Just get warm ok?” Stan nodded and shivered again. She didn’t remember exactly how to treat hypothermia but she knew skin to skin contact and being covered in blankets would help. Emily kept a close eye on Stan’s breathing as he drifted in and out of sleep. He stopped shivering after a while but he was still cold. Ford snuck into the tent a while later and said it was getting pretty dark out. He had Stan’s clothes dried and placed them in the corner as he settled in to keep watch.

“How’s he doing?” Ford whispered.

“Asleep, as you can probably hear.” Stan was snoring in Emily’s ear. “He’s warming up. Where’s the next rift?”

“Not sure, one hasn’t shown up yet.” Ford checked his watch. “It happens sometimes, we’ve been lucky that there’s been a rift in place at every new dimension. We’ll just stay here for a bit.”

Emily nodded. “I’m gonna try and get some shut eye ok? Wake me up when it’s my turn.”

“Alright.” Ford nodded. Emily closed her eyes and patted Stan on the back. It didn’t take long for her to fall asleep. She was exhausted from the day; her emotional let down and then the worry about Stan and getting him warmed up. She hoped this place was safe because it reminded her of her home. As much as she used to talk shit about Maine she missed it so much. She missed the way it smelled, even the gross mudflats, she missed the way the leaves changed into the most amazing colors during the fall and how the ocean changed colors depending on how it felt. Maybe the ocean here would change colors like that too, she’d have to check it out in the morning.


	12. Chapter Twelve

Stan woke up feeling like something was off. His body ached all over and his head was pounding. He didn’t feel hungover though, his headache was in a different spot and his stomach didn’t feel like it was going to hurl. Something rough scratched against his stomach and he became quite aware that he wasn’t wearing any clothes. Was he hungover? When did he take off his clothes? He groaned loudly, his head hurt too much to be thinking right now.

“Stanley, you’re awake.” Ford’s low voice welcomed him. 

“Why’m naked?” He mumbled, his hands searching for his twin. “Why ya clothed?” His fingers tangled with his brother’s familiar jacket. His mind tried to sort out the information, did they have sex? Might explain why his body hurt so much if Ford was really into it… but it didn’t explain why he couldn’t remember what the fuck happened.

“You fell into the mud, remember?” Stan shook his head making his vision blur and his body ache. “Emily warmed you up.” Wait. That rung a bell. He faintly remembered her arms cradling him and telling him he’d be ok. “You’re not naked by the way, not completely, though your clothes have dried if you want to get dressed.”

Stan hummed, debating about whether or not he felt like he could move to put on clothes. He nuzzled his head into Ford’s cheek, they needed to shave and Stan needed to cut his damn hair. He decided he wanted to savor the moment just a little while he let his body adjust to being awake and in pain. Eventually he sat up and stretched and noticed Emily wasn’t in the tent. Ford explained she was outside keeping watch as he dressed his younger twin. Ford handed Stan one of the furs and insisted he wore it around his shoulders like a cloak.

Emily perked up and smiled at Stan when he exited the tent. She had perched herself on a large rock but jumped off it to help Stan towards the fire. Ford exited the tent and helped his twin so Emily could go back to her perch. Stan was thankful Ford insisted he kept the fur around his shoulders because it was fucking cold… not that he’d admit that to Ford. The older twin would certainly ask for it in writing and say “I told you so”.

“Anything interesting so far?” Ford asked Emily.

“There’s no wildlife and I’ve noticed a clear line where something has been attacking the trees.” She pointed and sure enough the trees has a line where the branches were not present. “Pretty sure it’s an animal… that stuff doesn’t happen naturally and there’s some big ass claw marks.” She gave Ford a worried look. “We might not be safe here.”

Ford sighed, “Well, we’ll just have to be packed up every day. Be ready to move out. Maybe we can find a cavern or something.” Emily nodded and slipped into the tent to pack up.

“Where’s the next rift?” Stan asked, feeling a little stronger.

“There isn’t one yet.”

“Great.” Stan grumped.

\--

The three took their time walking around the forest, taking in the sights and looking for a decent place to set up camp. Stan still wasn’t at 100%, his body ached and he was still a little cold. That and they didn’t know what was in the woods with them because something was clearly in the woods. Ford continued to stop to inspect trees that had very clear claw marks in them. The marks were huge, the size of Stan’s thigh and several feet off the ground, whatever was clawing the trees was massive. Stan was starting to get an idea of what it could be but he didn’t want to say anything.

Ford stopped to investigate a claw mark and found a clump of grey fur. He inspected it and looked at Stan who frowned. Yup. Probably going to be a dire wolf. A massive wolf that once walked Earth a long time ago but could still be found in the multiverse. They had evolved into much more fearsome creatures with thick pelts and large claws on all four feet. Stan had heard terrible stories of people running into dire wolves unprepared. While they usually traveled alone they were still a challenge to take down. Despite being large they were agile and fast as hell and with their pelts being so thick they couldn’t just be shot down easy-peasy.

“Guess we’ll be hanging out in the trees then?” Stan asked.

Emily looked between the twins not sure what was going on. Ford ignored her and nodded to his twin. “Probably would be the best idea. We should find a thick tree, though it doesn’t look like the wolves are trying to knock down any of the trees.”

“Wolves?” Emily squeaked.

As if hearing their conversation a dire wolf let out a long howl. It shook the trees and made Stan’s chest vibrate with the power. Fuck this shit. Stan took off his fur cloak and stuff it into Emily’s backpack before he started to search for a proper tree before the thing got too close. It needed to be big and round but tall enough the dire wolf couldn’t get to them and there had to be enough branches for the three of them to be sort of comfortable and safe. He found his tree not much farther into the woods and looked to Ford and Emily who had trailed after him.

“You can climb up there right?” Stan asked Emily.

“Of course I can,” Emily glared clearly insulted, “but I don’t think you can. You were knocked out cold yesterday. You’re in no shape t-”

The wolf howled again a little closer.

“I’ll be fine, now get!” Stan swatted her shoulder and urged her towards the tree. Emily climbed up first and turned to help Stan crawl up the tree. He wasn’t as agile as Ford or Emily but he was stronger. Not that there was much to really grip onto. Damn fucking dire wolves broke all the branches off the lower half of the tree making it difficult to find a foothold in the bark and broken branches. Eventually Emily got a grip on Stan’s shoulder and helped him up to the thick branch she was seated on.

“You warm enough?” She asked looking Stan over. He huffed and nodded despite being quite cold. He could handle himself and he wasn’t about to die.

Ford crawled up onto a nearby branch as the wolf howled again. Now that the three had stopped climbing and the forest was quiet they could hear the wolf running through the forest. It’s massive paws making the damn ground shake with each step. Ford tapped a finger to his lips instructing everyone to stay quiet as the wolf approached. Emily stiffened next to Stan as the wolf came into view.

It had to be the biggest fucking wolf in existence. Even from the tall tree Stan was intimidated by its size. The fur on the creature was thick and grey. Right around the scruff of the wolf there were several longer pieces of fur like porcupine quills or a spiky lion’s mane. It’s large paws thumped on the ground as it sniffed the area. It could probably smell that there was something different, as long as it didn’t look up they’d be ok though. Stan’s heart was pounding in his chest as he watched the wolf stalk around the area, smacking bushes out of its way and crushing flowers. Eventually it stopped, near the tree the three wanderers were hiding in, and crouched down, its fur started to stand on end and it opened its mouth to bare massive fangs. A low growl rumbled from the wolf and went up the tree and straight to Stan’s gut.

Another wolf howled in the distance causing the wolf below to growl louder before tearing off through the forest. The trees shook as it ran at full speed by them, the wolf didn’t seem to care as it raced through small bushes and trees taking them down like twigs. Stan let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding and looked to Emily. She had clapped her hand over her mouth and was shaking.

“We’re lucky there seems to be a little territory struggle going on here.” Ford stated as he started to write in his journal. “Dire wolves are highly territorial and, as you can probably guess Emily, they control a large territory.”

“Maybe the damn wolves will kill each other.” Stan grumped as he tried to get into a more comfortable place without looking down at the ground. He wasn’t afraid of heights but if he fell now he probably wouldn’t be able to stand ever again. That scared him a little bit.

“Highly unlikely, Stanley, the wolves might fight but one will give up once it learns its outmatched.” Ford glanced at his twin before giving a sharp comment, “Not everyone is as stubborn as you.”  
“Pfft, look who's talkin’.” Stan smirked back at his twin.

Ford opened his mouth to retort but Emily piped up, “Is this really the place to be fighting guys? Please.” Ford gave Stan one last glare before going back to his journal. “What do we do now? There’s no rift and we can’t stay in the tree forever.”

“We should get down and follow the coastline,” Ford announced, “there might be a cave or something we can hide out in.”

“Anything’s better than this.” Stan gestured. “Worked good fer now but I don’t think this tree could stand a beatin’ from that wolf if it was tryin’ to get us.”

Ford nodded and Stan knew he was avoiding saying “you’re right, Stanley”. Stan might not be the genius his twin was but he knew his shit and he knew how to survive. Stan smirked, proud of himself and made sure Ford saw his smirk. The three waited until they could hear the wolves fighting in the distance. It wasn’t hard to miss; the two howled and the trees started to shake as they fought. Ford urged everyone to go now while they were distracted. Emily scurried down first and kept an eye out while the twins climbed down.

“Oh!” Ford sucked in a breath as he checked his watch. “There’s a rift! Not far from here but it’s fully formed? What the- I’ve never seen that before.”

“Could it be a portal gun?” Stan asked.

“It could… but what would be out here to use one? I can’t imagine anybody living out here.”

Stan shrugged. “Could be a hideout for some crooks.”

“If that’s the case we should avoid them.” Ford tapped his watch a few times. “Looks like there’s a very faint signal that way.” He pointed away from where the direwolf ran off to do battle. “Are you warm enough Stanley?”

Stan huffed and folded his arms, “I’m  _ fine _ , Poindexter. Yeesh. It’s like you care about me or something.”

“Of course I care about you.” Ford snapped. “We can’t afford to have you get hypothermia, ya knucklehead!” Stan snickered. Ford got so riled up over the stupidest shit sometimes. “This is serious, Stanley!”

Stan brushed him off and Ford stomped off to lead the group. Emily came up to Stan’s side and set a hand on his arm. “Are you really ok?” She asked quietly.  Stan didn’t want to lie to her. Ford was just fun to rile up and he knew the younger twin was capable of taking care of himself. Emily on the other hand didn’t know and she looked honestly concerned.

He ruffled her hair and gave her a grin. “I’ll be fine, though I certainly wouldn’t mind a little cuddling tonight.” He waggled her eyebrows at her. Emily blushed and looked away. Stan smirked, she was cute and so easy to embarrass. Ford was like that once, when they were young, before he just got tired of Stan’s cheesy one liners. Now Ford just rolled his eyes and walked off, too boring. Stan missed the little blush Ford would get when Stan would flirt with him or try and work Ford up in public. That shit didn’t work much anymore, Ford had some crazy control over his emotions and didn’t get embarrassed by Stan much. Maybe Stan had to switch up his tactics.

\--

Stan managed to find a cave just before the sun dipped below the horizon. There was a steep slope and near the bottom was a small cave. It was far enough off the ground that they doubted the tide would come into the cave. Emily pointed out the dark line from where the tide settled and said that as long as there wasn’t a storm or a massively high tide they’d be fine. It was good enough for Ford. The three crawled into the cave, it was larger than their tent which was nice, but it was damp and cold.

“Stan, get in the blankets, I’m making a fire.” Ford stated as he dug out a thick fur from his backpack. Stan rolled his eyes but didn’t argue. Ford knew he was being stubborn, that asshole, but didn’t comment on it. It wasn’t worth the energy especially for Stanley who wasn’t 100% yet.

Stan got comfortable close to the fire and watched Ford work on fixing Emily’s jacket. Ford used to feel ashamed for his extra fingers, hiding his fingers and trying not to let anyone see them, but Stan thought they were beautiful so Ford grew to accept his extra fingers. It was still uncomfortable sometimes when Stan would so openly stare at Ford’s fingers; there were limitless possibilities of what the younger twin was thinking about and most of them were highly inappropriate. Regardless, Ford needed to sow up Emily’s jacket because they’d neglected to do so, and he tried to ignore Stanley’s staring.

“Thanks for fixin’ that.” Emily said as she settled into one corner of the cave, “I coulda done it myself ya know.”

“It’s alright.” Ford replied gently. He needed a mindless task to focus on for a bit. His head was starting to go crazy thinking about the dire wolves, keeping Stanley safe, and who had a portal gun because someone clearly did in this dimension. He wanted to go investigate but he also was quite worried that Stan would be right and this dimension would be some crooks hideout because who else would settle down in a forest filled with dire wolves? Dire wolves were deadly and bringing one down was a tale to be told for years. 

A wolf started to howl, reclaiming its territory? Ford sighed and focused on making sure the stitches were tight and secure. The jacket was split right along the seam so it wasn’t too difficult to stitch back up, not to mention he was used to stitching up Stanley’s clothes from getting too reckless. Well, to be fair, the multiverse was very dangerous for everyone. 

Ford glanced at the fire, making sure it was still burning. He didn’t want to the fire to burn too much causing smoke to alert the wolves or whatever was out there to know where they were. He also wanted the fire to be hot enough to keep Stanley warm. He had to find a happy medium and he currently had the flames at that happy medium. He glanced at Emily who was working on her journal, he debated about asking her to keep Stan warm but decided against it. If Stan was cold, even though he was a stubborn asshole, he’d ask. Ford couldn’t ask Emily to do something like that anyways, it was quite rude, Ford respected Emily too much. The older twin wished he was warmer so he could hold Stan and warm him up and not need to rely on Emily.

“You ok, Sixer?” Stan asked.

“Hm?” Ford glanced at his twin.

“You’ve been staring at that jacket for like, six minutes.”

Ford rolled his eyes, “I’m fine. How are you doing?”

Stan shrugged but he shifted the furs up around his shoulders. Ford lifted an eyebrow and debated pressing the matter but kept quiet. Stan was a grown man and make his own decisions. The older twin glanced back at Emily, who was absorbed in her drawing. Everyone seemed calm. Maybe calm wasn’t the right word. There were still highly deadly dire wolves out there, someone who had a portal gun, and Stanley was still not in great shape. Ford glanced at his watch, a rift continued to pop in and out throughout the day from the same direction. He was sure there was someone here with a portal gun in this dimension. There had to be. Maybe Ford could go talk to them and see about getting a portal open to Earth. No, that wouldn’t be a wise idea, then whoever held the gun would know exactly how to get to Earth and that meant Bill could find someone new to open a portal. Wasn’t worth the risk. Even if it did pain him to think about keeping Emily in the multiverse. Stan too. Ford was the only one who deserved to be stuck in the fucked up multiverse struggling to survive, he was the idiot who made a dumb deal with a demon.

“Ford?” Emily’s meek voice pulled him from his thoughts. He glanced up and found Emily watching him with worried eyes. 

“Yes, Emily?” She didn’t respond and instead started to worry her lower lip. Ford looked to his twin who just shrugged. “Emily?”

“Ahh, do you want me to go out and try and find some food?”

“No, it’s far too dangerous out there. We have plenty of food left.” Emily started to bite her lip again but didn’t push matters. Ford sighed and handed her jacket back. “How about we eat that smoked eel you earned?”

“I earned it too!” Stan blurted out. Emily gave him a pointed look causing Ford to snicker. Stan rolled his eyes and shifted deeper into his blankets. “Still gonna give me shit over that mess, aren’t you?”

“Probably.” Emily shrugged and gave a shit eating grin she must have learned from Stan himself. Stan was rubbing off on Emily, as long as she didn’t turn into a conman like the younger twin it couldn’t hurt too much, right? Stan wasn’t a terrible person, a little rough around the edges but he had a heart of gold. Maybe Emily would toughen up. She would one way or another it was inevitable given her current situation. Ford sighed and started to dig through his pack for the smoked eel.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things get a little tense in this chapter. Small warning for blood if that stuff makes your skin crawl like it does for me.

“Oh my god.” Emily whispered. “This smoked eel is amazing.”

Ford and Stan could barely be bothered to grunt in agreement. Words couldn’t explain how good the eel was. Emily wished they’d bought more when they had the chance but decided savoring the eel would have to work. They carefully picked the meat off the eels they were given and savored the rich taste. They didn’t stop until they were positive they’d eaten all the meat.

“I’ll take first watch.” Emily piped up as Ford cleaned his fingers.

“Are you sure?”

“Yea,” she nudged Stan towards the blanket nest she made earlier. Stan grunted but didn’t object, he was still cold and could use some sleep. “Go on Ford, I’ll be fine. I got my gun,” she patted her rifle to prove her point as she settled near the entrance of the cove. Ford sighed but settled next to Stan who sighed contently. The twins fell asleep pretty quickly letting Emily enjoy the peace and quiet as the waves crashed outside. It threatened to lull her to sleep but she refused, she wanted to imprint the sounds to her memory.

If she allowed herself to sift through the memories that were stirring inside her she could picture her house. The little house buried in the woods near the cliff. The waves would crash against the cliff and could be heard from her house. In the summer when it was muggy and Emily was sweating balls she’d open the window and she could feel the salty ocean and  _ feel _ the waves rolling her body to sleep.

No. Have to stay awake. Emily shook her head, shooing the memories. She wasn’t home. She was in a dark cave in an unknown dimension with two guys who were strangers to her not long ago. Certainly not home. Although the lack of bugs was pretty inviting.

A dire wolf howled in the distance.

Never mind.

Emily sighed and glanced at the twins. They stirred a little in their sleep but didn’t wake up. Good. They needed their sleep. Carefully and quietly, Emily stood up and moved closer to the entrance of the cave. She peered outside and up at the night sky. The three moons were glowing bright against the black sky reminding Emily that she certainly was not home. Emily would give anything to go home and look up at the familiar sky and point out the constellations she knew. Instead, she looked up at the stars and couldn’t find one she recognized. It was still beautiful though, the night sky had always amazed Emily, the mix of colors and little splattering of white stars, back home she would often go out and draw the night sky.

Finding a comfortable spot at the entrance Emily took out her journal and started to draw the stars on a blank page using the small fire as her main light source. She took her time to try and get each star’s position and size accurate, she lingered on the three moons giving them the most attention. The craters and the shadows and dimples of the surfaces were obvious against the black sky and Emily wanted to immerse herself in the details and allow herself to think she was home for just a moment. It was almost familiar; the smell of salt in her nose, the sound of waves crashing against rocks and her pencil scratching her paper, the tug of exhaustion on the poor artist’s eyelids. God she wanted to be home.

“Emily?” Ford whispered in the darkness.

“Hm?” Emily asked. She didn’t realize she was crying until her voice didn’t want to work.

“Are you ok?”

“Fine.” Her voice cracked. Emily wiped her face with the sleeve of her jacket. Why was she crying? She was just drawing the night sky.

“Sure?” Ford pressed.

Emily nodded in the darkness before she realized Ford wouldn’t see her so she cleared her throat and whispered, “I’m fine… just… memories.” Ford hummed, seeming to accept her answer before he fell silent. Emily took a deep breath and looked back at her drawing. It was half finished though it wasn’t really much beyond a study of three moons and little black circles on the white page. She had no way of capturing the colors that were so much more than flat black once she adjusted to it. Even a few colored pencils would have a hard time with it. So, figuring that was the best she would get she put her journal away and looked up at the sky to just soak it in.

The dire wolf howled far off in the distance. If it weren’t for the wolves Emily would love to settle down here. Eventually she’d adjust to the sense of nostalgia over every little thing and she could see herself enjoying life here. There were familiar looking plants and small animals in the area that were too small for the dire wolf to care about eating. She’d seen a few larger animals as well in the distance as the trio wandered, a few deer and a bear. There would be ways to survive here. She could go out and get a small animal now if she wanted. The dire wolf was away and she’d be able to keep her eyes and ears alert. But Ford told her not to and she couldn’t leave the twins alone in the cave completely alone and unprepared. Instead she made her own constellations with the white stars, she linked several stars together and called it The Queen and made a backstory about The Queen being banished from her home for refusing The King. It kept her busy and kept her awake as she lost herself in the little details.

Time didn’t matter as Emily thought up little stories for her own constellations. She was so lost in the stars she didn’t hear the thumping of the dire wolf’s feet approach until it howled and startled Emily backwards. She smacked her head against the rock wall and scrambled to put out the small fire that was still burning. It was close. Very close. And now that she was aware of the wolf being nearby she could hear it getting closer and close. She frantically stomped out the fire while she worried about whether or not to wake up Stan and Ford. How the hell neither of them managed to wake up when the damn thing howled so close bothered Emily. What if she hadn’t been there? Or if she’d fallen asleep? The wolf was getting closer and closer as Emily kicked the burning embers away before she nudged Ford and Stan rather forcefully as she gripped her rifle.

The twins groaned as they stirred awake. Emily hissed at them to be quiet and when they finally fell silent the three could hear the wolf right above them sniffing loudly. Emily’s heart hammered inside her chest as she clung to her gun; she was paralyzed to the ground unsure how to proceed. If the wolf found them they’d be dead in a heartbeat, that beast was massive and could tear her in half with a single bite.

Fuck living here. Emily decided she wouldn’t ever feel safe here. Her hair was standing on end and her body was tensing to the point where her joints were aching. The wolf snuffled the ground before she heard it lick its lips. Did it smell them? Did it know they were just below its feet? Emily shouldn’t have kept the fire burning so much, some of the ashes were still smoking and blinking with a faint light. Fuck.

The air was frozen for a moment as the trio waited for the next move. It was hard for Emily to breathe, she didn’t want to risk making a peep. Her joints ached from her tense position but she refused to shift her weight even slightly in case a rock scraped under her boots.

When the dire wolf howled Emily felt her bones shake as she shuddered from the force of it. She felt the reverberations in every inch of her body and her body was left filled with panic and fear. The wolf slowly sauntered away, Emily wished it would move faster because she wanted to move so badly but didn’t dare to. The thing would find her and rip her apart and she didn’t want to die yet. Once the wolf was far enough away Emily let her body relax and exhaled loudly.

“Holy shit.” Stan was the first to speak.

“Yea,” Emily agreed before she turned to look down at the twins in the darkness. Her eyes had barely adjusted to the darkness but it was pretty obvious to see the two large figures hunched below her. “You both ok?” Her voice was just as shaky as she felt and she decided to sit down before she fell over.

“Yea, you?” Stan replied.

“Just a little freaked out.” Emily whispered.

“Time for my turn.” Stan sat up and stretched. “And don’t,” he pointed at Emily, “ask if I’m ok. I’m plenty warm. Kay, toots? Just c’mere and keep Ford warm for me.”

Ford huffed but didn’t object as Stan and Emily traded spots. She kept her rifle close to her and slid her knife under her pillow made of a bundled up fur. No way a knife would stop the dire wolf from eating her face but it was a small comfort for her to know it was nearby. Stan shuffled around the cave for a moment before he finally settled down near the entrance. It took Emily a bit to fall asleep, the adrenaline and fear from having the dire wolf so close was keeping her awake. Ford tucked Emily under his chin and mumbled something about her being ok. He didn’t seem to have any problem drifting back to sleep. Emily’s heart was still hammering and she was sure Ford could feel it. She closed her eyes and wished sleep would welcome her. It didn’t take too much longer, she busied her mind with trying to recreate the night sky here. She fell asleep before she placed her constellation Jellyfish into the sky.

\--

Emily was adamant that she was going to hunt for them. Ford tried to talk her out of it. It was dangerous; the dire wolf would surely hear her shooting and come investigate and there was no way the three wanderers could take down a fully grown dire wolf. She pleaded with him with those big puppy dog eyes but he held firm telling her they had enough food for a while and they didn’t need to risk anything. Finally she grew quiet and sulked in the corner of the cave. Ford, pleased with himself, went to check out the area above ground. He was lost in investigating a nearby plant he didn’t realize Emily was running past him until it was too late.

“Emily!” He hissed as loudly as he dared but she didn’t seem to notice or care. She just darted through the underbrush. “God  _ damn  _ it!” Ford immediately went to find Stan and pack up their things. They had to catch up to Emily fast because she was probably going to get herself into a lot of trouble. “Why couldn’t she just listen to me?” Ford hissed as he stuffed things into his backpack.

“Probably cuz she was feeling guilty about being an extra mouth to feed.” Stan retorted with a little bite to his words.

Ford paused, his hands hovering over a blanket. Didn’t they sort that out? Hadn’t he shown her that his opinion of her had changed? He knew she wasn’t a dead weight and it was actually kind of nice to have an extra person around because as much as he loved Stanley there’s only so much you can take of one person before you want to punch them in the face.

“We have to hurry.” Ford brushed the thoughts aside. He needed to get to Emily before something bad happened to her. He could feel the unease settling in his stomach like a rock. He didn’t want to be a pessimist but he felt like something bad would happen. He just had to focus and put aside his emotions.

The twins finished packing up, it didn’t take long because apparently Emily had already packed her bag and taken off. A terrifying thought shot through Ford’s mind when it settled in that Emily had taken her gear with her. What if she was intending to run off? Leave the two of them? She didn’t take much food at all and he doubted she’d be able to survive completely alone in this dimension with the dire wolves. He should have just brought her to the city and helped her settle in. He never should have taken her away from that wasteland once they got there. Fuck. This was all his fault just like getting Stanley stuck in the multiverse. His emotions took over any sense of logic as he started to panic.

Ford ran as fast as he could through the woods where Emily had disappeared. He didn’t care that he was making a lot of noise pushing through bushes and snapping branches under his boots. He needed to find Emily and keep her safe. She was his responsibility and he wouldn’t be able to live with himself if she died because he was too absorbed in his own stupid thoughts to see her run off.

“Ford!” Stan gasped behind him, his brother’s thick fingers brushing against Ford’s jacket. “Stop!” Ford slowed down but he refused to stop completely. “We have to be quiet ok? That dire wolf will find us.”

“It’ll find Emily!” Ford snapped.

“Calm down, Sixer.” Stan grabbed Ford’s arm roughly and forced him to stop walking. “Emily will be ok on her own until we find her. She’s probably just huntin’ a deer or something.”

“That’s the problem; the dire wolf has very good hearing and if Emily fires her gun it’ll investigate and it’ll find her unprepared and it’ll kill her.”

Stan turned Ford so they faced one another and glared at his older twin. “Take a deep breath, Sixer, yer havin’ a panic attack-”

“Am not!”

“-and you’re not thinkin’ straight. C’mon.” Stan took a deep breath in and as he started to exhale a loud bang resonated through the woods. A gunshot.

Forget being calm. Emily was in danger. Ford tore away from his brother and went after the noise. He had to find her. He  _ had  _ to. All sense of reasoning and careful planning were left behind as Ford ran. Deep in the back of his mind he knew he needed to listen to Stanley and pause to collect himself but he was in a massive panic attack. It wasn’t something he was too familiar with in his older years after gaining such tight control over his emotions but when he was younger he remembers freezing up if he had to read aloud in school or stand in front of the class for any reason. He remembers the sense of dread and fear jumbling all his thoughts making it hard to breathe and making the edges of his vision blur and blacken. Last panic attack he remembers feeling with such intensity was when he realized he was about to be sucked into his portal. His blood went cold, his vision narrowed until he could only see Stanley and he screamed for help because he was terrified.

A dire wolf’s loud howl managed to stop Ford’s frantic running. It shot straight through his body scattering his thoughts again. He stopped near a large pine tree and gasped for breath as he looked around for anything. He couldn’t see the wolf. He couldn’t see Emily. He couldn’t see Stan. Shit. Where did Stan go? The panic made Ford’s head hurt as he spun in circles trying to find anything he recognized. He hadn’t been paying attention as he dashed through bushes and over fallen logs and had gotten himself lost. Ford was never one to be so reckless and get lost but here he was. In the middle of a massive forest lost and alone. Shit. This wasn’t like him at all.

Ford just needed to focus. He sucked in another deep breath and forced himself to stop freaking out. There was a far more logical way to proceed than blindly running through the woods. The eldest of the three wanderers climbed up into the pine tree so he was safe from the dire wolf and he could see a bit better. His heart was hammering in his chest and he forced himself to stop panicking, he wouldn’t be able to do anything if he kept freaking out. His eyes darted down to the ground and saw Stan rushing through the forest. Ford whistled causing the younger twin to stop and look up spotting Ford in the tree. Stan visibly sighed and started to climb up the tree. Ford wanted to yell at him that there was no time to climb trees, they had to go find Emily now, but Ford realized he really had to stop panicking.

“Jesus, Sixer.” Stan grunted as he pulled himself onto a branch near Ford. “What the hell’s gotten into ya?”

Ford sighed and decided to admit that Stan was right, “I guess I was having a panic attack. I’m sorry. We do need to find her soon though.”

“Yea and we will. She’s a smart girl, ya know.” Stan smirked at his twin, “Kinda messed up how  _ I’m _ being the practical one and you’re the reckless one.”

“I wasn’t bein-”

“You were makin’ so much noise running through the forest blindly.” Stan cut his twin off who stopped arguing. There was no point. They had to find Emily, that had to be top priority, and to do that Ford had to calm down and think. Emily couldn’t have gotten very far and she was probably cleaning whatever she shot at earlier because Ford figured she had found something.

Another gunshot sounded in the distance quickly followed by a loud howl from the wolf. Ford’s body went rigid. The two sounds were close together. Ford squeezed his eyes shut and wished that Emily was ok before he opened his eyes and prepared to climb down from the tree when he heard her scream.

The wolf was running through the woods, coming closer to the location of the twins. Stan leaned forward over the tree and started to shout Emily’s name. Emily needed to get to them quickly. Her small figure burst into view and Ford started to join in with Stan’s screaming. She glanced up at them before looking over her shoulder. The wolf was getting closer. She had to hurry because it was gaining on her quickly. Emily tossed her rifle over her shoulder and bolted. Ford made sure he had a tight grip on the branch between his thighs so he could reach as far down the tree as he could.

Emily was having a hard time breathing but she couldn’t stop running. The wolf was in Ford’s view now; its large eyes locked onto Emily as it charged forward. She had to make it. She  _ had to _ . She jumped onto the tree and climbed as fast as she could. Her hands and feet found places to grip fairly easily after years of experience climbing trees but she wasn’t fast enough. The wolf jumped up onto the tree and slashed at the young girl, it barely touched her leg but she shrieked in pain and Ford saw blood on the claws of the wolf. Her arms shuddered and Ford worried her arms would give out and she’d fall to her death.

“Emily!” Ford yelled as he leaned down the tree even closer to the girl. She pulled herself up higher, gritting her teeth the entire time. The tips of Ford’s fingers managed to grab onto Emily’s backpack strap. He gripped it as tight as he could and yanked her up onto the branch he was on. She clung to the branch like a child as her body shuddered and struggled to breathe. Ford didn’t want to let go of Emily as he held tightly to her backpack strap he was worried she’d fall or jump or have a heart attack or some shit. Emily was back. She was safe for now.

But there were bigger problems now. The dire wolf circled the tree and growled at the three in the tree. Ford stared down at the hulking creature unsure how to proceed. The three wouldn’t be able to kill the wolf but he knew the wolf wouldn’t stop hunting them until someone was dead. Stan shifted his gun off his shoulder and aimed at the beast. It wasn’t worth it but he fired anyways. The bullet barely singed a long hair on the back of the wolf. It did manage to make it angier, the wolf howled before it reared back and slammed its front paws onto the tree trunk. The whole tree shuddered and loose pine needles fell like snow around the wanderers who clung to the tree as it shook. The wolf slammed its paws onto the tree over and over again trying to knock it over. It snapped its jaws shut and bared its teeth for the trio as it growled at them. Ford didn’t know what to do. He took his gun from his shoulder and fired at the wolf’s face trying to shoot it in the eye. It might have a thick pelt but it still had weak eyes. It didn’t seem phased by the bullets hitting its face. Stupid, bullshit dire wolf. Ford growled as he shot recklessly at the wolf just wanting it to die.

“Ford!” Emily’s nails dug into Ford’s arm. He looked down and realized -  _ fuck  _ \- he had released her backpack and she was slipping. The dire wolf was shaking the tree and with Emily’s injured leg she hadn’t managed to get secure. Ford scrambled to draw her up onto the branch as the wolf slammed into the tree again. His legs shuddered from the strain of trying to keep both himself and Emily stable. He couldn’t give up and let go.

“Are you ok?” Ford asked as he managed to get Emily into a safer place on the branch. She nodded but she was still gritting her teeth. Ford wanted to look at her injury but he couldn’t do much more than glance at it. What he saw wasn’t good. There was a lot of blood, it was soaking her pant leg and boots. At the very least he needed to stop the bleeding. He ripped off his scarf and tied it tightly around her leg just below her knee. “Keep pressure on the wound ok?” He asked motioning to Emily’s scarf. She took it off and pressed it to her leg but she couldn’t stay balanced as the wolf wouldn’t stop hitting the tree. Stan started to fire at the wolf allowing Ford focus his attention on keeping Emily balanced and relatively safe. He feared the worst though. That wolf wasn’t going to stop until they were all dead or it died and it didn’t seem likely that the wanderers would be able to kill the wolf.

What could they do? Prolong the inevitable by waiting for the wolf to finally knock the tree down? Which, by the loud creaking the tree was making, wasn’t going to be much longer. Ford started to look for an exit route but nothing would work. The pine trees were too far apart and Stan wasn’t fully healed and Emily sure as hell wasn’t going to be able to make some Hollywood jump. Ford’s mind searched and searched for an answer as he pressed down onto Emily’s leg to stop the bleeding. Nothing was lining up. Nothing. They could do nothing but wait to die.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

Stan fired one last shot at the dire wolf below him before he gave up. It wasn’t doing a damn thing to the beast. He glanced at Ford and Emily. Her leg was still bleeding pretty heavily despite Ford trying to stop it. They needed help and with the damn wolf they couldn’t do a damn thing. Stan clenched his jaw trying to figure out what to do. He wasn’t usually coming up with plans, that was Ford’s job, but after Ford’s weird ass panic attack and now having to help Emily he probably wasn’t thinking of an escape route. Stan had shot at the stupid wolf and he was sure he got it the thing right in the eye and it didn’t seem to do a damn thing.

The tree creaked and shuddered. There wasn’t much time left. Stan didn’t know what to do. He was clenching his jaw so tightly it was starting to hurt. Something rustled through the forest before Stan noticed something small and grey darting around the dire wolf and the large tree the wanderers were sitting in. He wasn’t sure how many because they moved way too fast but there had to be at least two. One grey blur got close to the wolf’s back legs and after a moment there was a small explosion of purple smoke. The wolf screamed in pain but it didn’t stop trying to break the tree. The blurs moved around the dire wolf causing more explosions. Stan hoped whatever the fuck the blurs were that they weren’t hostile to the trio. If they could take down a dire wolf they could take down the three stupid, injured humans. 

The wolf let out one final howl of pain before it collapsed against the tree causing it to shake rather violently. Stan grabbed onto the tree and watched the blurs stopped running allowing Stan to count three figures. Tiny little grey-cloaked figures. And they took down a massive dire wolf? Stan swallowed hard unsure what to do. He looked at Ford wanting a cue as to what to do.

One of the three figures looked up to the tree. Stan couldn’t see the creatures face, it was pitch black from the clock being pulled up so far around its face. It chattered at the trio before it motioned to the ground. Did it want them to come down? Would they be killed if they went down? The tree creaked again and snapped. It was going to break pretty soon. Fuck. Which was the lesser of two evils? Wait until the tree fell and they died or climb down the tree and see what the figures had. That was a pretty big risk. Stan liked taking risks.

“Stanley!” Ford hissed as Stan started down the tree.

“What other option do we have?” Stan glared at his brother, “This tree is going to fall over and I don’t think we’d be able to survive it. C’mon. Emily, will you be ok to climb down?” Emily looked down, her leg was completely bloody, some of the blood dripped off the tip of her boot. “You can do it. I’ll be right here.”

Emily didn’t seem so sure of herself as she drew out her axe and dug it into the tree before she started to climb down. She’d stop every so often and adjust where her axe was placed and catch her breath. Stan stayed close to her, making sure she was ok and wasn’t about to slip and fall to her death. She left bloody prints on the tree as she climbed down but she managed for the most part. Finally Stan reached the bottom of the tree and, without looking at the three figures or the dead dire wolf, reached up to spot Emily in case her arms finally gave out on her. The longer she climbed the more her arms shook and her breathing became irregular. She just had to come down a little bit further and Stan would be able to help her. Once she was low enough that he could grab her by the waist he did and helped her to the ground. Ford landed beside them and gave his attention to the figures leaving Stan to hold Emily up as she hissed in pain trying not to apply any more pressure to her leg.

The three figures and Ford talked back and forth, mostly through gestures and broken bits of various languages. Eventually the figures nodded in unison and Ford returned to Stan’s side. “They’re pretty peaceful, they’ll bring us to their home and help Emily.”

“You sure they’re ok?” Stan eyed the figured as they started to tie ropes around the dire wolf’s carcass.

“Stan, we don’t have much choice. Emily needs medical attention.” Stan couldn’t argue that as his twin started to walk with the three figures. The figures chattered amongst one another as they dragged the massive beast with little to no effort. Stan glanced at the dead wolf dragging along side him and grimaced. It was just as disgusting and terrifying up close. The thing had massive bloody teeth, obvious burn marks where Ford and Stan had shot it, and spiked fur.

Stan didn’t want to look at it so he turned to Emily who was shuffling along beside him. “You doin’ ok there, toots?” He asked.

She grunted in response. Her leg was bleeding quite a bit and it was clear she was in pain. Stan debated about how to help her more, he wasn’t feeling 100% just yet but she was certainly in need of assistance. He could manage carrying her for a bit he eventually decided.

“Hey, Poindexter, take this.” Stan paused and took off his backpack before handing it to his twin. Ford shot him a confused look but slung it over his shoulder without a word. “C’mon, toots, want a piggyback ride?” He finally looked her in the face and noticed how pale she was and how hazy her eyes were getting. She had lost a lot of blood even with Ford’s makeshift tourniquet. He didn’t wait for a reply as he turned and crouched down. She barely managed to flop against his back, her hands shaking as she pulled herself up to the point where Stan could grab her under the knees and hoist her up. Her head fell limp against his shoulder and he worried she had stopped breathing until he felt her chest barely moving against his back and the soft wheezes of her breath against his neck. That dire wolf had done quite the number on the girl. Stan stood up, ignoring how his body ached, and started to follow the figures once again. His head was hot and fuzzy from being sick and then running through the woods but he was still riding on the end of his adrenaline high and he  _ refused _ to give up.

“Not much farther.” Ford spoke gently as he glanced at his twin. “Are you sure you have her? I’m in better sh-”

“Just shut yer mouth and keep walkin’, Poindexter.” Stan snapped. He had come this far and he wasn’t about to stop now. Maybe one day his stubbornness would kill him but that day wasn’t here quite yet. He shifted his grip on Emily’s leg once more and realized his hand was coated in her blood making his fingers stick together. He stopped walking to make sure Emily was still alive and waited until he could hear her breathing before he continued.

Thankfully it wasn’t much farther at all. An enormous tree sat in the middle of a small clearing. The three figures went up to the tree and a small computer panel popped out, they tapped in some weird code and a big ass door opened up from the bark of the tree. It wasn’t a real tree, it was made of metal but it looked real as hell. Stan gaped at the door as he sauntered through it. Ford was tense in front of him, his shoulders a little too straight, hand hovering a little too close to his side arm, but he tried to keep the face of calm and acceptance as he spoke to the three figures. Stan’s eyes started to lift upwards. The interior of the tree had a main column that probably went straight to the top with a spiral staircase in the center. Platforms and walkways connected the staircase to the sides of the tree where there were sectioned off rooms with dim yellow lights flickering from small holes in the walls. The base layer had a tall ceiling with several dire wolves hanging from it. Little grey-cloaked figures wandered around the base and would occasionally turn towards the newcomers but said nothing.

Ford placed his hand on Stan’s shoulder to draw his attention to the older twin. “There’s a sterile room they’re going to let us use for Emily. They just asked for some form of reimbursement.”

“I hope you mean credits or food or some shit cuz I am not gettin’ freaky with these little fucks.” Stan said point blank. It wouldn’t be the first time certain  _ activities _ had been asked for in payment of a service.

“No, oh God no Stanley.” Ford gave him a disgusted look before leading him towards the room. “They want credits.”

“Ah.” Stan waited until they were in a small white room that smelled like it had been cleaned with bleach a hundred times over. In the middle of the room was a hospital bed and along the back wall were several large cabinets filled with medical supplies. Stan and Ford managed to get Emily’s pack off her back before laying her down onto the bed. She was still having a hard time breathing but made small noises as Ford asked her basic questions. What’s your name? How old are you? Where are you from?

“You’re probably going to have to hold her down.” Ford explained as he pulled off Emily’s boot and dropped it to the ground. It splattered blood against the white floor in an almost artistic way. Ford then carefully cut her pant leg and removed his tourniquet. Emily started to shift and struggle. “Let me see if I can find something to help with the pain.” Ford murmured before he turned to the cabinets and started to sift through them.

Emily whimpered and opened her eyes to look at Stan. “Hey there, toots,” He tried to keep his voice calm, “Sixer is gonna fix ya up alright? You just gotta try and be still for him, ok? Can you do that?” Her eyelids fluttered but she nodded her head. “Good, good.” Ford stuck a needle into her upper arm and she went lax in the bed. “Jesus, what the fu-”

“It’s just mild anesthesia to help keep her stable. It knocked her out so her body can focus on her breathing and heart rate and other vitals. Now you’ll have to help me, Stanley.” Stan gulped unsure what to do with all the medical shit Ford had plucked from the cabinet. He wasn’t squeamish or anything but he usually wasn’t one for hospitals or fixing open wounds or anything like that. Sure he’d helped patch up Ford before but this was intimidating how sterile and perfect everything was. He usually used an old piece of cloth and prayed for the best and it had done well so far. Then again, as Stan glanced at Emily’s wounds that Ford had started to wash, they’d never gotten anything like this. There were three perfect lines across her skin, the middle almost reached her bone and Stan felt his stomach twist and he had to look away.

Ford barked orders at Stan who did his best to follow them as quickly as he could. Pass Ford a scalpel, thread the needle Ford had out, clip the thread where Ford told him to. Fairly simple tasks but it made Stan so uneasy. Everything was too white. And what wasn’t perfect white was stained with Emily’s bright red blood. He wanted to be sick but he knew now was not the time for that. He had to hold it together until Ford said Emily would be ok.

“Ok…” Ford finally spoke with some emotion to his voice. He’d been almost robotic as he stitched up her wounds. “She should be alright, I pu-”

“If you’re about to go off on some nerd-gasm rant about the crazy shit you just did I don’t care.” Stan cut his twin off with a pointed glare. “Long as she’s gonna be ok, that’s all I care about, Sixer.”

“She should be fine.” Ford summarized. “A little weak but fine. We will have to keep an eye out for any signs of infection but…” Ford trailed off as he pocketed several bottles of medicine from the cabinet.

“Oh-ho.” Stan smirked at him, “Ya know, Sixer,” he dropped his voice to that husky tone he knew Ford  _ loved _ , “watchin’ ya steal is a  _ real _ turn on.” He nudged his twin and waggled his eyebrows.

“Now is not the time, Stanley.” Ford huffed but his cheeks had turned a pale pink.

Stan groaned but he knew it certainly wasn’t the time to fool around. However, it didn’t stop the fact that watching Ford so blatantly steal had turned Stan on a bit. Ford wasn’t the goody two-shoes everyone always thought he was; he was a wanted criminal just like Stanley. They’d both done some pretty bad shit over the years and had earned their status. Stan brushed away thoughts of how fucked up it was that he was proud his twin was a criminal too and how he was proud to be a wanted criminal all across the multiverse. He was finally pretty damn good at something even if it was being a conman and an interdimensional criminal.

“Now what?” Stan asked looking between Ford and Emily who was still passed out on the bed.

“We see about cleaning ourselves up and repaying the, uh… them.”

“You don’t know who they are, do you?”

“Not a clue. They hardly speak any language and communicate through strange clicking sounds. And no,” Ford glared at Stan, “it’s not morse code.”

“Jesus,” Stan’s hands shot up defensively, “I wasn’t even thinkin’ ‘bout that. You give me too much credit, Poindexter, I ain’t a nerd like you are.”

Ford just rolled his eyes before continuing, “These are where the rifts are located. So they must have a portal gun, I’m going to try and see if they’ll let us use it.”

“Is that a good idea?” Stan asked, something tugged at the bottom of his stomach making him not want to use the gun.

“You want to get home don’t you?” Ford quirked an eyebrow.

“Well, you can trace the locations from the guns right? If we go home… these guys,” he gestured towards the way they’d entered, “could find out where we live and come and, I dunno, destroy Earth? Tell Cipher where Earth is? He’s still after you, ya know.” There were always wanted posters of Ford in major cities dead or alive Bill wanted him. Thankfully the beings Stan and Ford hung out with weren’t snitches and were just as wanted. Snitches get stitches or some shit like that.

Ford sighed deeply, “You have a point. I’ll just gather information then. See why they have a portal gun…” As much as Stan wanted to get home he knew it wouldn’t be safe to just borrow someone’s portal gun. They either had to get fucking lucky to end up in Earth through a random ass rift or acquire their own portal gun that couldn’t be traced.

“And how the  _ fuck _ they’re able to take down dire wolves.” Stan added because damn they took down that wolf way too easily and there had to be at least three others being hung up to bleed when they entered the tree base.

“That too. Just stay here and keep an eye on Emily ok?” When Stan nodded Ford headed to the doorway before he paused and added, “And don’t steal anything. We don’t know what kind of people these guys are.”

“Yea. Just, stay safe.”

“You too.”

Stan watched as Ford exited the room before he turned towards Emily. She was still passed out and covered in blood. Stan grimaced and set to work finding something to clean up all the blood because, damn, she’d lost a lot of blood. He carefully wiped the blood off her leg and she finally started to stir.

“Hey, toots.” Stan gave her a toothy grin. Her eyelids fluttered but she managed to give him a weak smile back. “How ya feelin’?” She just grunted and lolled her head to the side. “Sixer and I patched up yer leg. Wanna hear a story?” She blinked at him but managed a small nod. “So, get this, when I was in high school I met this girl named Carla McCorkle.” Stan wasn’t sure why this was the story that came to mind, or why he even offered to tell her a story but here he was telling Emily about his “first” love. “She had the best ass I’ve ever seen. I mean,” He grinned down at Emily who had closed her eyes, “even better than Fordsy’s ass.” That earned him a hoarse laugh. Stan told her about all the times he and Carla went dancing and how she ended up leaving him for some stupid hippie. “Seriously, Thistle Downe has to be a fake name right? Anyways, she and Thistle went off to be hippies and blah, blah, blah. I’m over it now. Pretty sure I just wanted to see if I could get Fordsy off my mind cuz around that time I realized I really loved him. It worked for a bit, I did like her but then comin’ home and seein’ Sixer being all nerdy doing his homework and studyin’... eh, anyways.” He glanced down at Emily who had passed out somewhere near the end of his tale. He snickered and pushed her hair out of her face. She probably wouldn’t remember a word of Stan’s stupid story anyways. He figured hearing a familiar voice would be kinda comforting while she was all hazy from the meds.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

“So  _ why _ do they have a portal gun?” Stan asked for the third time.

Ford huffed and pinched the bridge of his nose under his glasses. How many times could he explain it before the knucklehead understood? “They have a portal gun so they can go in and out of the city as they please because they are the only providers of dire wolf pelts in the entire multiverse.”

“And why can’t we use the portal gun to go to the city?”

“Because they’re closely monitored, if they just let us use the gun to go wherever we wanted they would be tortured. They can allow us to go through the portal with them next time they go into the city but that’s it.” Stan folded his arm. “It’s better than nothing, Stanley. Besides, Emily needs medical assistance and rest and she can’t do that here with the dire wolves.”

“Fine, when are they heading out?”

“Tomorrow morning.” Ford replied. “They have to finish skinning the dire wolf they caught and they’ll be ready to head out. Emily should be able to walk by then. Are you ready to go to the city?”

“Which one?”

“Central.”

“Ah, could be worse.” Stan shrugged. In Central they were mostly wanted for petty crimes; disrupting the peace, gambling, stealing. Oh and the whole Bill wanting them but that was always a given in the cities. “That’s the one with the, uh,” Stan snapped his fingers trying to remember the word, “that big tower right?”

“Yes, the police station, so please keep your guard up.”

“Always do, Sixer.”

Ford could argue that Stan never had his guard up but it wasn’t worth the effort. “Just pack your things and be ready alright?” Stan nodded. The three had been given a tiny little room in the tree compound while Emily healed. Ford did his best to keep on top of her pain medication which usually left her drifting in and out of sleep. He’d have to ease her off the pain meds pretty soon but for now she could sleep. Ford scribbled into his journal, documenting everything he could about the tree and the cloaked figures. He made careful notes about the bombs they crafted to take down the dire wolves, while he wanted to take a bomb or two he didn’t want to piss off the figures. He had already taken a pretty hefty amount of medication, even more than what Stanley had noticed.

Emily groaned as she started to wake up. Ford went to her side and pressed a hand to her forehead to check her temperature. She wasn’t warm so she wasn’t fighting an infection, Ford had been keeping a very close eye on her wounds taking time to clean and bandage them with fresh bandages as often as he dared. He didn’t want to move her around too much and irritate her wound.

“Hey there, Emily.” Ford whispered.

“I hurt…” She moaned.

“I know,” Ford sighed and pushed her hair from her face. He wanted to keep on top of her pain medication but at the same time they wouldn’t have unlimited supply. She’d have to wait a bit before he gave her the next round of meds, he wouldn’t let it go on too long, but long enough that she wasn’t drugged out every second. Her face scrunched up and she moaned again. “I know, I know. You’re just going to have to fight through it ok? We don’t have a lot of medicine.”

Emily nodded. “Water?” She croaked out.

“Of course.” Ford left her side to get one of his canteens of water. Trying to keep her hydrated and full of pain meds had been fairly difficult so she was likely to be dehydrated. Ford helped prop her up and drink.

“Hey, toots.” Stan sauntered up and patted Ford’s shoulder relieving him of Emily-sitting duty. “How ya feelin’?”

She let out a short laugh. “Like everything is on fire. You sure you patched me up good?”

“‘Course we did.” Stan beamed down at her. “So, wanna hear another story?” Emily nodded and settled back into her bed. Stan had gotten into a strange habit of telling her stories of his life. They were never long stories, she usually fell asleep after a minute or two anyways, just cons he pulled and places he’d seen.

All stories Ford had already heard. Ford didn’t complain though, it was nice to hear Stan so willingly tell the stories Ford had to force out of him years ago. Tonight’s story was from Stan’s homeless years, he was a wanted criminal in almost every state, he was struggling to survive yet somehow his story was still a sweet one. He found a child in the street one day and looked after it until he found the child’s mother. Stan would probably have made a pretty good father, he had almost limitless patience with children, he could always make them smile, though he was a little awkward and gruff at first. Emily hadn’t fallen asleep yet and Ford watched her smile at Stan’s words as he told her about making sure the child and its mother had food for the night.

“Yer a good guy, Stanley.” Emily mumbled.

Stan chuckled awkwardly. Ford smiled. Sure the younger twin was rough - really rough - around the edges he was a good guy deep down. Everything Stan did was for his family. Evident by how fast he dropped everything to come to Ford’s aid years ago despite how Ford had treated him. Ford wish he was as good a person as Stan was. Stan was brutally honest, which could be a problem yes but he didn’t do it with the intention of hurting anyone. And when he did lie he usually had a good reason for it. “Whatever ya say, toots, try and get some sleep ok?”

“Hurts though.”

“Yea, I know. Hey, want Fordsy t’ give ya another backrub?”

Emily gasped a little, her dull grey eyes springing open. “Please?” She gave Ford those pleading eyes. He couldn’t refuse her. The twins carefully moved Emily into a comfortable position for Ford to give her a backrub. While it might not help with the pain in her leg it might distract her from it for a bit. It didn’t take long for Emily to pass out.

“Wanna give me a backrub?”

Ford rolled his eyes expecting it to be sexual but Stan was just smiling at him. When he shrugged Stan moved so Ford could give him a backrub. It was relaxing for Ford to give Stan a backrub, he’d learned where to press and where to rub to the point where he didn’t even need to think about it anymore. He was able to focus on other things like the feeling of Stan’s muscles under his hands.

“You’d make a good father you know that.” Ford mumbled as he dug his thumbs into Stan’s shoulders.

Stan groaned, “Nope.”

“You would. You’re certainly better than our father.”

“Yea cuz the bar was so high.” Stan huffed. “I can’t stand kids. They just scream and cry and beg for money. No thank you.”

Ford ran his hands down Stan’s spine, squeezing in just the right places to make Stan groan. When was the last time they had been this close? They weren’t even that close. Fully clothed with Stan on his stomach next to Ford. They slept closer than this even with Emily in the mix. Still, it felt intimate, Stan was so open and trusting and Ford was sure not to abuse that power. Ford decided to test his luck, mainly for his own selfish desires, and slide his hands up the back of Stan’s shirt. His twin’s skin was so soft but Ford could feel the muscles and the body hair up towards his shoulders.

“What brought this on?” Stan spoke gently.

“Just… missed you.” Ford summarized as he savored the curves of Stan’s body. Things were weird out in the multiverse, there was never really a calm moment to really enjoy having his twin - his lover - back into his life. It just wasn’t something they could manage. But things seemed calm and he couldn’t ignore his feelings anymore.

“Sixer.”

“Yes?”

Stan groaned as Ford edged his palms into his spine. “ _ God _ , you give the best massages.” He sighed deeply. “Sixer.”

“Yes?” Ford repeated himself and the motion that made Stan groan.

He earned another breathy groan. “Fuck, it’s been way too long.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going t-”

“Can you just shut up and let me tell ya somethin’?”

“I thought you were.” Ford teased, dragging his nails ever so slightly across his twin’s skin. It was too easy to get Stan riled up and initially Ford hadn’t intended for it to turn into this but it did. Probably due to the fact they spent so many years apart with pent up feelings.

“You’re the worst.”

“I love you too.” Ford bent forward to kiss the top of Stan’s head.

“Jeez, Sixer, you totally took the words right outta my mouth. I was tryin’ t’ tell ya I love you first.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry.”

“Well, anyways, I love ya.”

“Look who’s getting sentimental in their old age.” Ford snickered.

“You’re the older one remember.”

“So you’re finally admitting it?”

“No. Just shut up and rub my back.”

“Now you’re ordering me around?” Ford teased, pressing too hard into his twin’s ribs making him squirm away.

“Why can’t we just…” Stan sighed deeply, “I dunno, have a nice conversation? Without bickering.”

“I doubt it, Stanley,” Ford admitted, “a lot of stuff has happened between us. I, uh, am sorry for heckling you as often as I do.”

“Can I get that in writing?” Stan snickered.

“Not a chance.” Ford replied with some humor in his voice. “We’ve been doing pretty well with Emily around…”

“Yea, that’s pretty nice. Hey, I’ll try and be careful in Central ok? No promises cuz sometimes trouble finds me.” Ford rolled his eyes. “But Emily does need a place t’ rest and heal up… and I think you could too.” Stan poked Ford’s knee.

“Me? You’re the one who was hypothermic a few days ago.”

“Eh, I’m fine, I’ve been through some cold winters before.” Ford knew all about his misfortunes with cold winters in his heater-less car. “Anyways…. Why don’t you get some rest Sixer? Or I’ll give ya a backrub if you want!”

Ford snorted, Stan gave the  _ worst _ backrubs. “I’ll try and get some sleep.”

Stan shrugged but he couldn’t hide the smirk on his face, “Suit yourself.”

\--

Emily was dealing with the lack of pain meds better than Ford imagined. She would get up and walk around when Ford asked her to. She wouldn’t complain just grit her teeth. Occasionally she’d hiss in pain or tell Ford she had to sit down to catch her breath. He tried to distract her with stories like Stanley would or encourage her to draw in her journal. She was getting stronger and her leg showed no signs of infection and Stanley had no side effects from the hypothermia scare. Things were looking up considering the circumstances.

“Hey Sixer, those guys are about ready to open the portal.” Stan sauntered into their small room without much warning.

Ford glanced up from his journal before looking at Emily. “Ready?” She didn’t look ready but didn’t say anything as the three of them packed up their supplies. Ford had, slowly over the few days in the tree, stolen various medical supplies. Never a lot of one type. He didn’t want them to notice and come after him but medical supplies were hard to come by and he needed them. He had stashed the supplies away into everyone’s backpack as an extra precaution.

The three wanderers left their room as spotless as they could and went to the main room of the tree house. Several of the cloaked figures stood in the center of the room in a line with the dire wolf pelt on their shoulders. Ford spoke briefly to them just to double check that they were ok and weren’t about to turn the trio into the police. The figures didn’t care as long as they didn’t get caught. One figure pulled out a portal gun, it was sleek and silver, and when fired created an acidic green oval. Ford wondered why created portals were so different than naturally formed rifts but he couldn’t think about it right now. He took Emily’s hand in his own and after the first figure went through the wanderers went through as well. The feeling was similar; stomach turning, a little shock, only lasted a second but the acid green was incredibly bright on Ford’s eyes as he stumbled through the portal.

“She’s gonna hurl!” Stan grabbed Emily and barely had time to bring her to a nearby trash can before, sure enough, the girl puked. Ford sighed as he went to rub Emily’s back. He nodded towards the figures who disappeared into the city. They’d picked a unpopulated area of the city which Ford was incredibly thankful for. He spotted several wanted posters including one of himself and his twin but it was old and frayed. Not to mention outdated. Sure Ford didn’t look all that different just older but Stan didn’t have that stupid mullet anymore. Speaking of which, Ford glanced to his twin who was holding Emily’s hair out of her face as she tried catching her breath. Stan’s hair was getting long again, maybe while they were in Central he’d trim it again. It was much easier keeping their hair clean if it were shorter, not to mention it was harder to grab and pull if it were shorter.

“Woah…” Emily finally looked up away from the trash can to take in the city. It was still quite the sight even from the less populated area. There were small grey houses sitting right next to each other, most were three stories high with tiny little windows and doors. Clothes lines hung across the narrow alleyways. A few beings walked down the main walkway as hover crafts flew above the houses. Beyond the slums, which were better than any slum he’d ever seen on Earth, the perfect white marble of the tall buildings could be seen shimmering in the sunlight. She hadn’t even see the impressive police station that made Ford’s jaw literally drop the first time he saw it. It would be risky to bring her to see it, they were still wanted criminals, but he had to.

Ford cupped Emily’s elbow and started to guide her through the streets. She stared at everything, her head on a swivel, trying to take it all in. Ford wanted to give her a chance to sit down and draw the area but now wasn’t the time. They had to figure out where they could stay without the police being tipped off. Stan trailed behind but Ford could sense he was keeping up. Ford tried to keep to quieter roads and keep an eye out for wanted poster he could destroy. He had to keep his guard up even more so here because if they were caught by the police or anything… that would be it. They’d be taken to maximum security prison or worse handed straight to Bill. Death would be a better option if it came down to that though.

“Hey, over here Sixer,” Stan called out, “this place is won’t ask questions.” He pointed to a ugly little motel. It was a u-shaped two story motel with an empty pool in the middle. Funny how something so stupid could remind Ford of Earth. They stayed in a motel like this one when they were young and on a rare family vacation. “Trust me. Lemme take Emily in there cuz you still look like your stupid poster.”

Ford rolled his eyes. Emily shifted, “W-why me?”

“Nobody can say no to a cute face like yours, toots.” Stan gave her a wink and offered her his arm. Emily huffed but Ford noticed her cheeks turned pink. “Can I have the money? I’ll get us a good room. These guys don’t ask questions.”

“How do you know this?” Ford narrowed his eyes.

“Just trust me, the guys I used to run with would always share places to stay that wouldn’t ask questions. And they were doing a helluva lot worse shit than just hiding out and resting. We’ll be fine.”

“How long ago was this? What if the management has changed? Can you really trust a conman?”

“Jesus, Sixer, you think too much. C’mon Emily.” Stan grabbed Ford’s jacket and plucked out a wad of plastic money before he and Emily disappeared inside. Ford blinked a few times, unsure what the hell just happened, but decided to let it go. He just wanted a nice bed to sleep in and to take a shower. Ford sucked in a breath at the thought of being able to take an actual shower and get clean again. It would be worth it, he just had to stay alert.

His twin returned not much later with a wide grin on his face. He dangled a shiny key in front of Ford before leading him off. Emily trailed behind, trying to keep up but Ford could tell that her leg was starting to bother her. He pulled away from Stan and helped her up the stairs to one of the rooms in the middle of the row. Stan wiggled the key into the keyhole and unlocked the room.

“Ta-da~” Stan pushed the door open and revealed a rather spacious room. “Told ‘em it was our honeymoon so they gave us this huge ass bed and it’s got the nicest bathroom in the motel.” For being such a shady looking place the room was rather nice; a large bed with green bedding and a lot of pillows, a couch that looked like it was taken right out of the 70’s, two nightstands and a matching dresser with an old tv - old by the multiverse standards. Emily unceremoniously dropped her backpack onto the floor by the door before she jumped into the middle of the bed. She let out a giggle as she bounced a few times on the bed. Stan dropped his backpack and joined Emily, laughing deeply as they bounced on the bed. Ford smiled and took the time to close and lock the door - deadbolting it too - before he hopped onto the bed with his twin and Emily. He could get used to this, as long as nothing got out of hand or went crazy and forced them to leave.


	16. Chapter Sixteen

“ _ Oh _ , God.” Emily groaned as she stepped into the shower. A hot shower. It felt like she was being born again as the spray pelted her back and rinsed off all the dirt and grime from her body. What a simple pleasure she had completely lost touch with. She hadn’t even been in the multiverse that long yet it felt like decades had passed since her last shower. She savored the moment for a while before she set to work cleaning her hair and body, she didn’t know if there was a limited supply of hot water or not and didn’t want to be rude. Emily had taken some pain medication earlier and it was starting to kick in, just enough to make her feel like she had a few alcoholic drinks, she was glad because when the suds from her shampoo ran down her leg over her wound she hissed in pain.

The wound was still irritated and red but it was coming together pretty well. The twins had done a good job stitching her up and using weird medicine to help stimulate cell growth to help her heal faster. She glanced down at it and noticed it was bleeding a tiny bit from the big scar, it trickled down her leg and tainted the water red.

It felt like someone punched her in the gut. Memories flooded Emily’s mind. This wasn’t the first time she’d watched her own blood disappear into a drain. How many times had it been? Several for sure. He’d cut her a few times both intentionally and accidentally. She’d cry in the shower where, even if he went into the bathroom, she could hide her tears. Tears only made things worse. Emily squeezed her eyes shut, wishing to get rid of the memories. Instead she saw that tall mutant creature she killed. She watched blood splatter from the wounds  _ she _ caused. She watched it collapse onto the ground and try to scramble away. It opened its mouth, sharp teeth covered in blood, and screamed. Its scream sounded like it was real. No wait, she was screaming. She stared at her hands and despite being perfectly clean she felt like they were stained with so much blood that would never wash away. She started to scratch at her skin as she screamed and cried. She had to get rid of the memories. She had to get rid of the blood. She had to!

Someone was shaking her. Emily blinked through her tears and tunnel vision to see a panicked Stan right in her face. His lips were moving but she couldn’t hear anything besides the pounding inside her head. She tried to clear her mind to hear Stan but it was hard; she kept hearing screams long after her own screaming had stopped. When her mind finally cleared Stan didn’t look so panicked but was repeating her name over and over. “Emily, Emily, Emily.”

Emily let out a sob. Her body shuddered.

“You’re ok,” Stan rubbed her arms, “you’re ok, Emily, Emily, Emily.”

“St-Stan?” She croaked out. Emily started to realize where she was; curled into a ball in the corner of the shower with the hot water pelting her and Stan as he tried to bring her back to reality.

“‘M right here, Emily, ‘m right here.” He kept repeating himself in a calm voice.

“Stan…” Emily paused, her face growing red when she realized she was absolutely naked. “St-stan, c-can you, uh, give me a second?”

“What? Why?” Stan pulled back just a big, his eyes wide with panic. “You’re ok, Emily. Please. You don’t have to do anything drastic.” Emily glanced down at her hands where there were several little streams of blood from where she’d dug herself so badly.

“I know,” She whispered before looking up to finally meet Stan’s eyes. He had water dripping down the sides of his face, his dark eyes wide with concern and panic, his lips set into a hard line. “Stan, I’ll be ok… just let me clean up and get dressed?” Her cheeks burned with embarrassment and it only took a second for Stan’s face to turn red.

“O-oh, right! Sorry!” He sat back but his hands still hovered near Emily’s shoulder, “Are you sure you’ll be ok?” When she nodded Stan stood up and awkwardly left the room, closing the door gently behind him.

Emily took a second to sit on the floor and gather her thoughts. She tucked her bad memories away into the back of her mind, she was having a hard time keeping them in place lately it seemed. That would be a problem for another day. Emily stood up from the floor, a little shaky, and rinsed her body one last time before she shut off the water. She dried and dressed quickly so she could go talk to Stan.

The twins sat on the edge of the bed talking quietly to one another but they both jumped when Emily opened the door. Stan rushed to her side, still concerned, “Are you ok? You were screaming and digging at yourself.”

“Sit, sit,” Ford nudged Stan aside and made Emily sit on the edge of the bed.

“I-I, uh,” Emily felt so embarrassed. She’d tried to keep everything under wraps and then she went and blew it all by having a major panic attack in the shower. Ford took her arms without a word and looked over the scratches she’d caused. She’d caused a lot of pain throughout her life. And now she could add killing someone to that list. Her face started to feel hot and she felt like she was going to start to cry again. She was an absolute mess.

“You don’t need to explain.” Ford patted her arm gently. She relaxed considerably. She didn’t want to explain what the hell happened because she wasn’t absolutely sure herself. Thankfully, she’d spent enough time with the twins that they knew her bad past and that she was still dealing with trauma. Besides, when one gets down to it, does it really matter what  _ exactly _ caused Emily to break down screaming in the shower?

“You’re safe with us, you know that right?” Stan spoke gently.

Safe wasn’t exactly the word Emily would have used because none of them were safe in the multiverse. Her leg ached as a little reminder that she wasn’t safe from all the dangers around and that there would always be things the twins couldn’t protect her from. But she was safe around them to be honest with them and cry with them and to trust them to be around her when she’s the most vulnerable. In a way, she was safe with them, they’d proven to care about her but safe wasn’t the word she wanted to use to describe it.

The trio fell silent as the twins patted Emily’s arm. It wasn’t necessarily comfortable, Emily had a lot on her mind and she just wanted to be left alone for a little while. Eventually Stan stood up, claimed he was going to take a shower, and gave Ford a suggestive look. Ford rolled his eyes and turned to Emily, “Can I bandage your leg?”

Emily yanked up her pant leg and let Ford take out some new bandages and a weird cream that was making her skin heal faster than normal. Ford worked quietly, rubbing the cream against her scars as gently as possible.

“Ford?” Her voice sounded so small and weak and she hated herself for it. Ford hummed but not looking up from his work. “You should go take a shower with Stan.” His face turned bright red. “I could use some time alone to gather my thoughts… and I’m sure this is the first time in a while it’s been quiet for you two…” She shrugged. “Just keep the noise down.” It wasn’t an ideal solution but she needed time to recover and it was the only way she could get that time alone. Ford looked highly uncomfortable but Emily gave him a weak smile and nodded towards the bathroom where the shower could be heard running. Ford returned the smile and got up and headed into the bathroom. She didn’t want to think about what the twins were doing in there, it wasn’t any of her business, instead she curled up into the massive bed and covered herself with the plush blankets.

She let herself cry until she couldn’t cry anymore. She cried over her ex and what she allowed to happen to her. She cried over her life she left behind. She cried for her father, her roommate, her kitten and everyone she lost. She cried for the blood staining her hands and knowing she’d have to coat herself in even more blood if she wanted to survive. She ended up crying herself to sleep.

\--

Stan woke Emily up when he and Ford got out of the shower. She had clearly been crying, her face was so red and puffy. Stan tried to give her a warm smile. “Sorry t’ wake ya but Sixer wants t’ wash our clothes in the morning.” Emily’s eyebrows furrowed together, she was still trying to wake up. Stan continued, “He’s going t’ take our clothes t’ a laundromat,” it was simplifying the process but Emily wouldn’t be able to understand if she even cared to, “get ‘em all nice an’ fluffy. Doesn’t that sound nice?” Emily gave a sleepy nod. “So, since Sixer is the early riser he’s gonna go out in the mornin’.” He tugged on her sleeve.

It seemed to click and Emily sat up and stripped off her outer clothes. As soon as she was done she curled back under the covers and closed her eyes. Stan took her clothes and dropped them near the door before he eased into the bed. Emily had ended up at the very edge of the bed and Stan didn’t want to move her so he took the middle. It felt strange to be in the middle but once Ford was beside him it didn’t matter. Stan pulled Ford into a tight hug and buried his face into the back of his twin’s neck. The shower had been mostly innocent, just kisses and a little conversation but the intimacy of being in the shower together was just what they needed. He planted a small kiss on Ford’s neck.

“Get some sleep, ya knucklehead.” Ford mumbled.

“Sorry, can’t keep my hands off ya.” Stan replied giving his brother more kisses. Sleeping in a nice bed was a luxury they’d almost forgotten. He wanted to enjoy the moment for a little longer. He wanted to run his fingers through Ford’s still damp hair and kiss his skin. Ford hummed, his body relaxing back into Stan’s, he was enjoying it just as much as Stan was. Stan stroked Ford’s hair a little while longer until the older twin fell asleep. Stan planted one last kiss to Ford’s head before he allowed himself to fall asleep as well.

\--

Ford woke up bright and early, as always, and pried himself from Stanley’s grasp. Stan grumbled and twisted around to wrap his arms around Emily instead who was still out cold. Ford stretched his hands above his head before shuffling into the bathroom to get ready for the day. Going to sleep with his hair wet was a terrible idea, he looked like Albert Einstein’s crazy twin or something with the way his hair was sticking up in every direction. It took several minutes for Ford to tame his hair before he could get dressed in a spare set of clothes he had buried in the bottom of his backpack. Once dressed he put everyone’s laundry into his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. He took a second to pull his scarf up around his mouth to hide his lower face, he was still a wanted man after all.

He closed the door as quietly as he could behind him before heading out into the city. It had been a while since he’d been in Central but he still remembered the streets and where everything was. It was still early so the streets were fairly empty, hover cars darted back and forth across the sky, and nobody seemed concerned with the human walking down the road. Ford kept his head down and refused to make eye contact with anyone so they didn’t have a reason to stop him and get a better look at his face. Some beings were  _ really _ touchy about being looked at. 

The little laundromat was empty when Ford entered. It had the same feel of all the laundromats he’d seen on Earth; machines everywhere and a weird smell lingering. He shoved everyone’s clothes into a washer and poked some buttons to get it up and running. It was far more advanced than what he had seen back home; settings for each and every thing imaginable because there were materials he’d never heard of that required certain settings. While the machine whirred to life Ford settled into a chair and pulled out his journal. He skimmed through the pages, making sure he didn’t have any additions before taking the time to put some more detail in on the cloaked figures.

A humanoid entered the room not long after Ford had started to wash his clothes. He glanced at it and quirked an eyebrow. Pixies weren’t very common to see but there was a fully grown pixie with shimmering wings and bright red spiked hair. She didn’t look at Ford as she set her own clothes to wash, he hurried to a blank page and started to draw her. She was smaller than Emily, shorter and thinner, but she looked strong. Her muscles moved under her sleeveless shirt as she pushed clothes into a washer. Ford didn’t want to stare but he couldn’t help it, he wanted to get the detail of her wings down and the way her hair defied gravity. He shifted uncomfortably when she stood up and looked at him, he changed the page on his journal and tried to look casual as the pixie went to the other side of the laundromat to sit and wait.

The two sat in complete silence for the longest time. She busied herself with painting her nails while Ford stole glances at her to get the pattern in her translucent wings right. Ford listened as the washer with his clothes started to go crazy in a spin cycle. No matter how much technology all the dimensions had nobody could seem to make a quiet spin cycle. He sighed and tucked his journal back into his backpack as he waited for the buzzer to go off. The washer sounded like it was about to lift off into space with how much noise it was making. Finally it stopped vibrating at an incredibly high velocity and let out a loud  _ beep _ signaling the end of the wash cycle. Ford changed the laundry over as quickly as he could, he kept a close eye on his backpack near his seat as he hurried to move the heavy, wet bundle of clothing into a dryer. He tapped the buttons he knew resulted in the warmest, fluffiest clothes and went back to his chair. 

The pixie barely glanced his way as she looked her long nails over, Ford tried to avoid glancing at her because it was a little weird. She wasn’t particularly beautiful or anything but he hadn’t seen a fully grown pixie in a while, they usually stuck to their home dimension, leaving the younger pixies to do all the dirty work going to gather supplies. And  _ why _ was a pixie doing laundry in a public laundromat? Didn’t they have the ability to clean clothes on her home dimension? Ford glanced at the pixie one last time wondering what she was doing here. It wasn’t any of his business but he was curious, he always was curious - part of the reason he ended up in such a mess - he couldn’t help it. 

It didn’t take too long for Ford’s clothes to finish drying. The pixie had just sat down from turning over her laundry when the buzzer on the dryer went off. Ford took time to fold the laundry so nothing got wrinkled ahead of time. It was a simple pleasure having nice clean clothes that weren’t wrinkled or dirty. Not to mention he wanted to make sure everything was clean and didn’t need to be patched up. Stan’s jacket was starting to fray a little on one end and would need to be patched soon, maybe while they were in Central there would be time to patch everything up. Ford packed his backpack up before slinging it over his shoulder and walking out of the laundromat without glancing at the pixie, he had felt her intense stare the entire time he was folding laundry and it had made him feel weird. Hopefully she hadn’t noticed Ford’s staring and was angry at him, pixies were known to have short tempers.

Ford started to climb the stairs to the motel when his younger twin rushed around the corner looking disheveled. He was wearing his spare clothes, his hair was messy, his face flushed, and his eyes were darting each and every way. Something was up. Ford caught his twin before Stanley fell down the stairs, “Are you ok?”

Stan nodded. “Ye-yea. I’m, uh, gonna go for a walk. Ya know, stretch my legs an’ all.” He wouldn’t meet Ford’s gaze. Ford wanted to press the matter and ask what was wrong but Stan seemed so distraught, he was shifting his weight from foot to foot as he glanced around Ford to the bottom of the staircase.

“Alright,” Ford gave in and drew his hands back, “Stay safe.”

“Y-yea y-you too.” Stan hurried past Ford and out of sight.

Ford watched his brother for a moment trying to figure out what was causing him to act so strangely. It probably was a nightmare or something and once Stan calmed down he’d come and talk to Ford. Over the years Ford had learned that this was Stan’s way of coping with nightmares; he’d get worked up and emotional and go off to gather his thoughts but he’d always come back and talk to Ford. Stan was too emotional - usually anger - but once he calmed down he could talk about it with Ford. Ford sighed and headed up the stairs, whatever had bothered Stan he’d learn about soon enough, no sense worrying about it.

Just as Ford reached for the door of his motel room the door flew open. Ford jerked backwards and came face to face with Emily in her undergarments. Her eyes were wide as she stared up at Ford.

“Emily?” Ford asked.

“You didn’t leave me?” She asked.

“Come inside.” Ford ushered her back into the room and closed the door behind him. Emily looked shaken as she sat on the edge of the bed and watched Ford closely. “I went to the laundromat, remember?” Ford tried to keep his voice even as he set his pack down to get out her clothes. “Are you ok?”

Her shoulders were shaking as she watched him, “I- I had a nightmare… and when I woke up…” She looked around, “I was worried ya’ll had left me…” She started to worry her lower lip again.

“We didn’t leave you.” Ford handed her her clothes. “Stan just left, he had a nightmare too I think. I’m sorry I wasn’t back sooner.” If he hadn’t taken the time to fold the laundry he would have been back in time to calm Emily down before it got to this point.

“I’m sorry.” She took her clothes and glanced up at Ford. “I-I just-” She shook her head and walked into the bathroom without a word. Ford sighed as he set out Stanley’s clothes onto the bed. He glanced at the bathroom door and heard the water running so he changed in the middle of the motel room. He tugged his shirt down just as Emily opened the bathroom door. She’d washed her face and didn’t look quite as upset.

“Do you… want to talk about it?” Ford asked.

She shook her head but spoke anyways, “I just… had a really realistic dream… ya know the ones where you can feel ‘em?”

Ford nodded, he’d had plenty of dreams like that and knew how terrifying it was. Especially since his demon never had a physical form and there were times he’d wake up and be absolutely positive Bill was back. Thankfully Stan was nearby to calm him down and remind him where he was.

“Would you like to go and explore Central with me?” Ford asked gently.

Emily glanced up at him, still biting her lip and after a moment she nodded.

“Alright, grab your pack.” Ford noticed Stan had left his pack in the corner of the room. He’d just hoped Stan had the spare room key because he was sure as hell going to lock the room up. “We can gather some supplies and look at some shops if you’d like.” Emily nodded and followed Ford out of the motel room. “There are actual shops here like on Earth, unlike the little settlement we were at a while ago. I’m sure we can find you some colored pencils too.” That lit her eyes up as she slid her hand into Ford’s as he lead her into the streets to explore the city.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I'm not particularly happy with this chapter but the show must go on.

Ford had to ask Emily several times to avoid staring as they walked into the shopping district. Several beings were already eyeing the young girl as she looked at everything. There were a lot more interesting beings here than that last settlement she was in and Ford couldn’t blame her for staring but they were getting some angry glares. Ford turned her attention from the beings to the big glass windows displaying a variety of things. Shops here sold everything. Clothes, food, pets, whatever a traveler could want. And these were just the legal shops, there were plenty of black markets throughout the city. Ford continued to glance at every news board; trying to see if his wanted poster was still there. Of course it would be, Bill wouldn’t stop looking for Ford but people would stop caring. He only saw one poster and it was old and torn and he figured as long as he didn’t draw attention to himself he’d be good.

“Oh!” Emily squeezed Ford’s hand as she darted out of someone’s way. She clung to Ford’s side as she avoided several more people.

The sidewalks were getting terribly busy. Ford glanced at his watch and assumed it was meal time for the majority of the beings. He lead Emily into a odd shop to get out of the way. The place sold a variety of “magical” things; candles, charms, potions, spell books. The place smelled musky and dark as incense burned at the counter, there were shelves and stands full of items and Ford had to be careful not to knock his backpack into anything as he moved deeper into the shop. Ford knew it was all junk; magic was fake, science could explain everything but he was intrigued by the myths and lore. Emily sucked in everything, she ooed and awed and pointed to things. The shopkeeper eyed them wearily but soon started to talk to Emily. Emily did well with her broken Noezian and Ford filled in words she didn’t know. The shopkeeper talked Emily into a necklace with a raw gem on it, saying it’ll help protect her through her travels. Ford wasn’t buying the tall tale but the blue and white gem looked nice on Emily and she was head over heels for it. Apparently she believed the crap about certain crystals having magical powers so she and the shopkeeper talked about the crystals. Ford wasn’t impressed but she was picking up the language pretty quickly as the shopkeeper pointed out the items it was referring to. Ford poked at a wind chime made of seashells and listened to it clatter as the shopkeeper picked up a small jar full of small stones saying it would protect the young human.

Ford gave the shopkeeper a look over; it was a small cat-like creature with massive blue eyes. It moved silently through the shop never once setting off any of the charms or windchimes, its long cloak stirred up dust as it walked. It drew a paw out from under the cloak and Ford stared at its arm covered in gold bracelets that never clanked together. How it moved so silently was unnerving. Emily didn’t seem to mind as she asked question after question. Ford wondered if the look on Emily’s face was one he had on his own face when talking about science with other beings. Her eyes were bright and alert, she was asking questions and talking with her hands as she pointed and gestured. He watched her fondly but kept a close eye on the shopkeeper; it was far too silent for his taste.

The two left with a small necklace around Emily’s neck. The blue and white gem was said to help with protection or something. Emily tucked it under her shirt as she followed Ford along the sidewalk, the place had quieted down considerably after the meal time rush. It was easy to pop into the shops Ford wanted to and gather supplies. He inquired about jobs at a few places but nobody needed help or they didn’t want human help.

Emily had started to stare at beings again and Ford nudged her with his elbow. “Emily, please.”

“Sorry, there’s just…” she trailed off as she noticed a poster of Ford and Stan.

“Don’t.” Ford grabbed her elbow and pulled her away.

“I knew you were… ya know but posters and everything? You musta pissed someone off big time.” That was an understatement.

“C’mon we should get our supplies.” Emily nodded and wrapped her hand around Ford’s sleeve and had him lead the way. The two didn’t linger too long in any stores. Ford would let Emily look while he picked up what he needed but he’d quickly pull her away. He was worried someone would recognize them or that she’d accidentally piss someone off and get them in trouble. That and he was a little worried about Stanley so suddenly disappearing.

\--

Stan was back in the hotel room but the time Ford and Emily returned. He wouldn’t look at either of them and that concerned Ford even more. If Emily could sense something wrong she didn’t say anything, she just went off to take another shower “to enjoy the hot water while I can”, which left the twins alone.

“Stanley.” Ford sat beside his twin. Stan flinched. “What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare? Emily had one too.”

Stan sighed, his shoulders drooped. “Sixer, ya know I love ya right?” That wasn’t good. “I think I was the reason Emily had that nightmare.”

“What makes you say that?”

“Well, I dunno, I woke up and she was still asleep and I dunno…” Stan frowned and avoided looking at Ford. “I had my hand on her knee cuz she was slippin’ and I knew she was gonna knee me in the balls again.” Ford quirked an eyebrow. “She, I dunno, started to like moan and shit? And I-I liked it? Fuck.” Stan finally looked up at Ford. “I love you so much Sixer. I’m so sorry. I’ve had this stupid weird crush thing for her! It’s so stupid and I shouldn’t-”

Stan stopped babbling when Ford exhaled loudly. “Emily said she was having a nightmare where she could actually feel it. Probably something her ex did,” He wouldn’t put it past the asshole, “But you didn’t stop?” Ford felt betrayed. Stan shook his head. “Stanley, I love you but-”

“I love you too!” Stan blurted, “It was an accident! Please.”

Ford slapped Stan. He hated to do it but he was hurt. Stan betrayed him! Betrayed his trust! Stan didn’t say anything as he let his head drop. “You have to explain this to Emily.” Ford hissed. “She was in a panic because of that nightmare and because  _ you _ ran off she thought we had left her here.” It was easier to force his anger away. He was so tired of being angry at Stanley.

“No! No! I would never!”

“Well you left and I wasn’t back yet.” Ford glared at his younger twin. “She was very upset. And I am too. Actually, no, I’m disappointed in you Stanley.” The worst insult. Stan slumped even more. Ford huffed, as pissed as he was, he still loved Stanley. “I’m sleeping in the middle from now on.”

Stan’s eyes darted upwards. “What?”

“I’m not leaving either of you behind but…” Ford ran a hand through his hair. Leaving either of them behind was a death sentence and… Ford still loved Stanley despite being in pain. “Stan what were you thinking?”  
“I wasn’t, Sixer.” Stan frowned. “I’m sorry.”

The water shut off and Ford sighed. “I’m taking a shower. I need some time to think and you,” He poked his twin in the chest, “need to explain to Emily what happened. Got it?”

Stan nodded solemnly and they sat in silence until Emily exited the bathroom.

\--

Emily was shaking when Ford exited the bathroom. Stan looked pained as he slipped by his twin without a word. Ford sighed and went to Emily’s side. “Emily,” she glanced up at him, “are you alright?” Ford’s anger had sizzled away in the shower. He was disappointed. He trusted Stanley with his life and he did… well… he gave Emily a panic attack and sort of cheated on him? In a way? Ford just knew he was confused and betrayed.

Emily nodded. “Just… I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For causing this mess.”

Ford frowned, “You didn’t cause this mess.”

“Yes, I did. I should have told Stanley not to flirt with me or whatever and… I should never have let you guys tell me it was ok for me to be… cuddly. I’m sorry. I know how hard you and Stan worked for your relationship and I’ve fucked it all up.”

“Emily, it’s alright.” Ford sighed. “It wasn’t your fault. I won’t blame you for anything. Stanley was the one-”

“Please don’t be mad at Stan,” Emily pleaded, “please. He loves you so much. And you two have been through so much…”

“Emily.”

“Ford.” Emily’s eyes were watery. “Please, be mad at me. I’ll leave tomorrow.”

Ford pinched the bridge of his nose. This was so messed up. And Ford didn’t know how to remedy the situation. He was angry at Stanley but he didn’t want to lose either of them. Emily shouldn’t take the fall because Stan had a lapse of judgement. He seemed to have them every few years it seemed. Ford was tired of being mad at Stanley but this hurt. But, he wasn’t sure if it hurt like it should, he wasn’t furious. Sure he’d slapped Stanley but he’d done a lot more than that over the years. He was disappointed. That wasn’t the reaction he should have to his brother’s actions… but what should his reaction have been?

“Emily don’t leave, w-... I need you. You’ve been very helpful to our survival and… I would miss you.” Not to mention she’d probably be killed if she was left alone.

“A-are you sure?” Emily hesitated.

“Yes.” Ford didn’t hesitate. Emily just nodded and looked away.

\--

Stan clung to the edge of the bed, his back to Ford, he went to bed without saying a word. Emily on the other hand had curled up into Ford’s back and would whimper in her sleep. Ford couldn’t sleep at all. He didn’t know what to do. He wanted to pull Stan close and hold him. He wanted to shove him off the bed. He wanted to hold Emily close and kiss her forehead and tell her everything would be ok. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep. Just as sleep started to tug at Ford Emily shivered and dug her nails into his back. He huffed and rolled over. She blinked up at him in the darkness.

“Did I wake you?” She whispered.

“Nah.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You’re fine.” Ford replied. “C’m’here and get some sleep.” Emily fit so nicely in Ford’s arms. He set his chin on the top of her head and sighed. He had strange feelings for her just like Stan did and it was so messed up. He should be angry at Stanley and disgusted by himself. He was just… confused. Emily fell asleep and Stan shifted. Ford wanted to complain that he’d never get any sleep but when Stan put his arm around Ford’s middle he couldn’t. This is why Emily liked sleeping in the middle. Ford was so warm and so safe and happy? This was too confusing. Ford buried his face into Emily’s hair and willed himself to sleep.

“I love you.” Stan whispered.

“I love you too.” Ford whispered back.

“Me three.” Emily nuzzled her face into Ford’s chest.

“Emily?” Stan asked.

“Hm?”

Ford wanted to snap at them to go to sleep. He was exhausted but they had other plans. Ford felt Stan move his arm so he could touch Emily’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry.”

“Shh.” Emily shushed him.

“I love you both.” Stan whispered. “Is that weird?”

“Does it matter?” Emily asked. “Pretty sure we’re all fucked up people.”

“Can we not discuss this now?” Ford finally spoke up.

“Aw, do you want some sleep, Sleeping Beauty?” Stan teased.

“Yes.” Ford huffed.

“You know you love us.”

“That’s besides the point. We can talk about this in the morning.”

“What’s there to talk about?” Stan was really getting under Ford’s skin.

“What the hell we’re going to do if we all love each other that’s what.” Ford snapped. “Now get t’ sleep, ya knucklehead. And you too, Emily.”

Emily giggled a little but she fell quiet. Stan huffed but didn’t push matters. Ford closed his eyes and finally let sleep take over. He had no idea what was going to happen in the morning and frankly, right then he didn’t care, he just wanted sleep. 

\--

Stan woke up first, his limbs were all tangled up with Ford’s and Emily’s. There was a brief moment of happiness before it shattered. He’d fucked up big time yesterday, his cheek still ached where Ford slapped him, but that was it? Both of them were too weirdly ok with the situation. Emily wasn’t mad at him, she was more angry at herself which confused the hell out of Stanley. And Ford? Who knew what the fuck that nerd was thinking because he could have really ripped Stan a new one but he didn’t? Stan buried his face into Ford’s hair.

Stan sucked in a deep breath and wiggled his toes. He didn’t know what to say. He’d come to the conclusion, in the shower, that he was in love with Ford as he always had been but he loved Emily too. More than “this person is my responsibility and I need to keep them alive” way. It was weird. It felt like he’d had too much sugary alcoholic drinks. He wanted to puke.

He shifted, tempted to go to the shower, and apparently woke up his twin. Ford grunted and nestled back into Stanley a little more. “G’mornin’ Sixer.” Stanley whispered. He didn’t want to wake Emily and he sure as hell didn’t want to wake the sleeping dragon waiting to bite his head off. That dragon being Ford when he woke up and realized what was actually going on.

Ford sighed. “Good morning…”

“You mad at me?” Stan didn’t want to ask but he had to.

Ford didn’t answer for a moment. “No.”

“You can be honest with me.”

“I am.” Stan’s eyebrows shot towards his hairline. There’s no way.

“Sixer?”

Ford sighed, “I don’t know. This is just weird, ok? I don’t-” Ford not knowing something was very unusual. It concerned Stan because this was something big.

“Hey guys?” Emily’s small voice was muffled by Ford’s chest.

“Hm?” The twins called in unison.

“Can we just… I dunno… there was this thing called polyamory back home…”

“I’m aware of polyamory.” Ford’s voice was strict. “Are you suggesting-?”

“I mean.” Emily sat up and looked down at the twins. “I-if you’re ok with it? Kinda like… I dunno… just… this is how it is? Cuz…” Emily’s face turned bright red, “I kinda like ya both…”

Stan propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Ford. “I’m ok with this. I love you, Sixer, and I love you too.” Stan glanced at Emily.

“This… this is weird.” Ford huffed, he covered his face with his hands.

“Just,” Stan brushed his hands through Ford’s hair, “it doesn’t change much of anything, does it? We love you. You love us. Bam. Problem solved.”

“It’s not that easy!” Ford snapped.

Stan rolled his eyes. It was pretty easy to him. It changed nothing. It changed that they were ok with the cuddles. That they were ok with… kissing? Stan glanced at Emily who was still blushing quite hard. Yea he wanted to kiss her.

“J-just,” Ford sat up finally and rubbed his eyes, “are you ok with this?” He looked first to Emily before Stan.

“I’m the one who brought it up.” Emily shrugged. “I trust you both. I love you both. And… I dunno. It really wouldn’t change much. Kinda like you two sayin’ you’re in a relationship. It doesn’t matter way the fuck out here. Nobody knows us and nobody gives two shits. Right?” She looked at Stan for verification who jumped up and agreed.

Ford groaned. “Fine. Fine. I just. This is weird. Let me…” He slipped off the bed. “I’m taking a shower. I need to think about this.” He paused and looked back at Stan before he shook his head and disappeared into the bathroom.

Stan and Emily glanced at one another and shrugged at the same time before they flopped onto their backs. “You think he’ll agree?” Emily asked.

“Probably. He didn’t seem too pissed at me,” Stan glanced at Emily, “I am sorry about the panic attack.”

“Yea, it happens.” Emily shrugged. “So, you like me?”

Stan rolled his eyes, “Pretty sure I made that clear, kiddo.”

Emily’s face immediately scrunched up, “Please do not ever call me kiddo. Makes it real weird.” Stan laughed. He couldn’t stop it. He tugged Emily to his side and hid his smile in her hair. How the hell this worked itself out so damn quickly was freakish but Stan didn’t care. It changed nothing. Except he was a little more validated in his feelings for Emily. Granted Ford agreed… and even if he didn’t agree to loving Emily the same way… as long as he was ok with Stan and Emily  _ and _ still ok with the fact that Stan was still head over heels for him… Stan sighed deeply; life was starting to pay him back after years and  _ years _ of shitting on him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slow burn over? I hope it's not too out there? Too sudden? Too simplified?


	18. Chapter Eighteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for my sudden disappearance. I hit a writer's block and ended up ignoring the story for a little while but I'm back because I'm pretty close to finishing this story. That said, I'm not going to half ass this story just to complete it and that might mean the occasional delay since I'm still fighting my writer's block.

Emily chewed on the inside of her cheek as she heard Stan and Ford arguing once again in the hotel room. They seemed to argue when she was out of the room, trying not to give her an anxiety attack but their voices carried when they got wound up. Emily stared at herself in the mirror and tried to decide what to do. She still remembered hearing Ford slapping Stan, her cheek still ached at the memory. Today they were arguing about getting a money; Stan said he could easily steal money but Ford didn’t want to risk it.

“Stanley!” Ford snapped.

“Shut yer mouth an’ listen t’ me!” Stanley barked back.

Emily squeezed her eyes shut. They didn’t argue very often and not many topics got them so worked up. Emily learned real quick that talking about the decade the twins were separated was not to be brought up. It was still a very sore spot that either left the twins somber and apologizing to one another over and over  _ or _ a screaming match with each insult worse and worse.

“God, you knucklehead! Just because you were a petty thief while you were homeless doesn’t mean those tactics will work here!”

Oh boy.

“First off,  _ Poindexter _ , I was  _ far _ more than a petty thief don’t insult me. And second, I’ve stolen a wide variety of stuff here or have you forgotten that I’m a wanted criminal just like you!”

The arguing increased. Jabs about their separation. Jabs about what was a petty crime or a  _ real _ crime. Emily couldn’t take it anymore. They loved each other yet they were so bitter and angry. Their jabs hurt her own soul. How could they be so mean to one another? Emily felt tears pricking in her eyes. They honestly loved one another. She knew it. She’d seen the tender looks they’d shared. She’d heard their sweet whispers to one another

Emily couldn’t take it anymore. She flew the bathroom door open and glared at the twins. They were on opposite sides of the bed shouting at one another. It took them a minute to notice her and when they did they immediately shut up. Ford gave a worried look to Stan before approaching Emily.

“Emily…” He started softly.

“What is wrong with you?” Emily snapped. “You two love each other! Why are you constantly at each other’s throats?” Emily’s face felt hot and she knew she was going to cry. They honestly loved one another, this wasn’t like her relationship, they really cared about one another. Yet their fighting was real, the words had real pain and venom behind them.

“We…” Ford looked at his feet. “Emily, it’s complicated…”

“Yea, I get that!” Emily barked. “Relationships are hard work. But  _ God _ ,” the tears started to fall down her cheeks, “it’s almost constant since we’ve got to Central… every time you think I’m not listening you argue. You two love each other and I get it some bad shit happened between you two…” Emily trailed off and wiped her face. “If you two can’t be happy together…”

“Oh, no,” Stan cooed and strode to Emily’s side to wrap her into his arms. “We’re happy together, baby, we do love one another.” Emily buried her face into Stan’s chest.

“We do.” Ford’s voice was soft. “It’s just hard, Emily…”

“I get that.” Emily picked her head up and looked up at Stan, “But it feels like it’s all the time… maybe… maybe I’m just… I don’t know…” Emily sighed, “Can you guys at least make up after you fight? You never do… you just drop the arguments and never say sorry or I love you or anything. That’s not healthy!”

“We do-” Ford started.

“Cut it, Sixer,” Stan snapped, “You know as well as I do that she’s right.” His shoulders slumped, “We do say it sometimes but were we going to today?”

“You tell me.” Ford’s voice held venom and Emily shook her head against Stan’s chest. The twins sighed and in unison they spoke, “I’m sorry. I love you.”

Emily picked her head up and looked at Stan, he had that soft, tender gaze in his eyes. Emily patted his cheek and turned to Ford who had a similar look. “See?” She whispered, “You love each other, don’t forget it, ok? If you do fight,” which she was sure they would, “at least make up ok? It’s not healthy…” She knew about unhealthy relationships. “And not because I want you to, because you  _ have  _ to for each other.”

“We’ll try.”

“Yea, toots, we’ll try.”

“Good.” Emily wiped her eyes, “I’m sorry for crying and for being…”

“Nah, sometimes we need a good wake up slap.” Stan ruffled her hair, “Not to mention we need to be reminded we do love each other.”

“Speak for yourself, I don’t need reminding.” Ford’s voice was lighthearted.

“Pffft, sure, whatever you say, Sixer.” Stan jabbed without venom as he patted Emily’s shoulder. “Now, whaddya say we go be tourists? Emily deserves t’ see Central don’tcha think?”

“Can I get some colored pencils?” Emily piped up.

Stan beamed down at her, “Ya really want them colored pencils, don’tcha toots?”

“Sure do!” Emily smiled.

Stan ruffled her hair. “We’ll get ya some, toots, don’t worry.”

\--

Stan disappeared into the crowd, to pickpocket money, leaving Emily and Ford to wander through Central. Ford maintained that Emily couldn’t stare but he’d stop at popular tourist stops so she could gawk at the architecture. They got close to the massive tower and paused to look up at it. It was pure white with sleek lines that reflected the sunlight. It was almost blinding to look at. Emily couldn’t tear her eyes away despite the little white spots that were forming in her eyes.

“Hey there,” Stan purred as he approached Ford. “You enjoyin’ the view?” Emily finally tore her eyes away to find Stan wrapping his arms around Ford’s middle. Ford had a soft smile on his face as he looked up at the tower. Stan bounced up on his tiptoes and kissed Ford’s cheek before he disappeared back into the crowd.

Ford thumbed through a stack of credits and shook his head, “I gotta hand it to my brother, he sure knows how to scam people.”

Emily smiled not sure what to say as Ford counted the money. “Hey, Ford.”

“Yes?” Ford tucked the money into his jacket.

“A-are you ok with… um…” She trailed off and started to worry her lip. Ford had yet to say one way or the other.

“I’m willing to give it a try.” Ford shrugged before he put a hand on her shoulder, “I’ve seen a lot of crazy things in my years and, as a scientist, I’m willing to try this before making a decision.”

“You gotta gather information or somethin’?”

“You sound like Stanley.” Ford teased.

“Does that help?” Emily waggled her eyebrows at him like Stan did to her. Ford laughed, a deep hearty laugh and looped his arm around Emily’s shoulders to tug her into his side.

“C’mon, let’s get a closer look at that tower.”

Ford kept his arm around Emily’s shoulders as he led her through the crowds. Stan had no problem finding them, like he had a little radar that told him where his twin was or something. Stan would pop in and out and give Ford bits of change and ruffle Emily’s hair. They got closer to the tower and Stan stopped disappearing. He took Emily’s hand and the three walked around the glittering white buildings. The lines were so sleek and Emily wanted to pause and make note of the lines in her journal. She tried her hardest to keep her eyes from lingering on anything for very long; no beings passing by, no buildings, nothing. She didn’t even allow herself to stare down at her hand that was joined with Stan’s large one.

Finally they were right below the tower and the twins were looking rather anxious. Emily remembered this building was the hub of the police station and she was sandwiched between two wanted criminals. She stared up at the tower and had that dizzy feeling of vertigo hit her. The hover cars flew by the tower and she was sure the tower was swaying, or maybe it was just her. She hadn’t realized she was clinging to Stan’s hand since it was the only thing keeping her grounded.

“Pretty cool right?” Stan asked.

“Y-yea,” Emily stammered before she tore her eyes away from the tower, everything was still spinning and she tried to focus herself. “Can we get some colored pencils?” She wanted away from the tower because it was making her feel funny and didn’t want to make it seem like she wasn’t thankful the twins had risked their lives to bring her this close.

“Sure thing, toots!” Stan beamed before they walked away from the tower.

\--

Emily curled up on the bed happily coloring with her brand new colored pencils. Stan had to tear her away from the selection in the store because there were colors she had never seen and there were colors she couldn’t see and it was just too much. Ford told her maybe later they could get more but she had to settle for the set of eight she had. Emily didn’t care, she was just excited to be adding color to her drawings at last.

“Stan, stop fidgeting.” Ford huffed.

“I can’t help it.” Stan groaned.

Ford was trying to cut Stan’s hair but he was fidgeting and Ford had to constantly stop or risk nicking Stan’s neck with a small pair of scissors. Ford planted his hand on the top of Stan’s head and snipped along the back of Stan’s neck as quickly as he dared. Emily watched the methodical movements of Ford as he brushed Stan’s hair with a comb and checked the length. She got lost listening to the  _ snip snip snip _ of those scissors she didn’t realize the twins had started talking about relationships.

“Well you’ve had relationships,” Ford huffed, “You were even married!”

“Yea well at least you’ve kissed a guy before, ‘sides me.”

“I-what?”

“That Fiddle-guy, right? You kissed him.”

“I told you I had a slight crush on him in college. I’ve never kissed anyone but you.” Ford’s cheeks were turning red. “You’ve kissed loads of people before, Stanley.”

“Well you were the first guy,” Stan shrugged.

“And you were my first and only kiss.” Ford replied. “I never cared to get… intimate with anyone.”

Emily wasn’t sure what exactly they were arguing about. How did they even start on the topic? But they weren’t heated or filled with venom. She wasn’t sure what caused her to blurt out her next sentence.

“Do you want to kiss a girl?”

The room fell silent. Emily nibbled on her lower lip as she felt her face heat up. Why did she say that? What difference did it make? Kissing was kissing. Lips were lips. Everyone could have soft lips or chapped lips or anything. There was nothing special about it.

“Oh ho!” Stan sat up and broke the silence. “Lookit Fordsy, you got an offer t’ kiss a cute girl!”

Emily’s cheeks had to be just as bright red as Ford as they looked at one another. Why did she say that? Ford wasn’t sure if he liked Emily and there she goes blurting that out? Why? What was she thinking? She had to remedy this and fast. “I-I mean…”

“Yes.” Ford breathed.

Once again the room fell silent for a moment until Ford set down his scissors and walked to the bed. Emily watched him unable to move. Did she really mean it? Was Ford serious? She hadn’t kissed anyone besides  _ him _ and she was worried she wasn’t ready. Ford sat on the edge of the bed and watched her for a moment.

“Are you ok?” He asked.

Emily nodded and cupped his cheek. This was Stanford. This wasn’t  _ him _ at all. Ford would never hurt Emily. The world slowed down as the two stared at one another. Emily felt her eyes flutter closed as Ford leaned forward. Why was this taking so long? Why was Stan ok with it? Why was  _ Ford _ ok with it? Nothing was making sense and it was making her head spin. Ford’s breath was hot when it hit her face. He was so close. Emily tried to push the thoughts out of her head and just kiss the man. She opened her eyes just enough to give herself an idea where Ford was and leaned forward. Their lips brushed every so slightly. His lips were warm and a little rough and so nice.

Ford cupped the back of her head and pulled her in closer. Emily remembered that while he hadn’t kissed a girl he’d certainly spent a lot of time kissing Stanley. He knew what he was doing and it was nice. Emily finally understood why Stan liked kissing Ford. He pulled away and she sighed deeply. Holy shit.

Ford had that dopey smile on his face he usually gave to Stan only he was looking down at Emily with that look. Emily’s heart fluttered. She wanted to kiss him again, so she looped her hand behind his neck and pulled him back into a kiss.

“Hot damn, I want in on this.” The chair scraped against the floor and Stan hopped into the bed. “C’m’ere you two.” Emily broke the kiss and looked at Stan who was leaning back against the headboard.

“What if I don’t want t’ kiss you?” She teased.

“Oh, toots, you know you do. But I just wanna cuddle ya.” He held his arms out. Ford and Emily shared a look before the snuggled into Stan. He kissed them both on the top of their head and held them close. Emily felt so content as she tangled her legs up with the twins’. She almost wanted to admit she liked falling into the portal. She ended up finding two of the most amazing guys and holy shit she was cuddling with them and they were all ok with it. Maybe life was going “my bad!” after her ex. 


	19. Chapter Nineteen

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's some sexual themes at the end of the chapter. Nothing explicit. Just so you're aware.

Life was sickly sweet. Stan never wanted to leave. He’d be happy to live in Central with Emily and Ford. He wasn’t even that frustrated about not being able to go to his home dimension. His home dimension had been nothing but pain to him - with a tiny sprinkling of teenage romance - but over all, yea his home dimension could suck an egg. He woke up with his legs tangled with two other sets and he couldn’t be happier. He stretched as much as he could being wedged between two other beings and wiggled his toes a little.

Ford huffed, “Can’t you sit still for two minutes?”

Stan blinked and was surprised to find that Ford was the one pressed into his chest and Emily was wrapping herself around his back. It was different but Stan sure as hell wasn’t going to complain. Emily was so small against his back and Ford was so perfectly curled into him.

“Nope.” Stan teased.

Ford huffed but nuzzled back into Stanley’s side. Stan tried to keep himself still as he ran his hand up and down Ford’s back. The older twin hummed contently and Emily hummed in response.

“You awake, toots?” Stan asked.

She hummed again and he felt her head nod against his back.

“How ya feelin’?”

“Eh.”

“Do you want some pain medication?” Ford asked.

“I’ll be ok.” She whispered.

“You don’t have to tough it out, ya know.”

“I know.” Her voice was quiet. Stan knew she was still in some pain, he noticed her wince every so often when she’d move or walk but she’d started to refuse to take medication for it. She sighed deeply, her breath burned against Stan’s back.

The trio fell silent and Stan swore he fell asleep again. The bed was just so comfortable with the two most important people in his life pressed against him. He could die happy now. Eventually though Emily shifted and sucked in a breath. Ford sat up and looked down at her over Stan’s shoulder.

“Are you sure?” He insisted.

She grunted and hid her face into Stan’s back. “I’ll be ok.” Ford grumbled but didn’t push it any more. Emily was just as stubborn as Stan sometimes. Poor Fordsy had to put up with two stubborn jerks. Ford pushed out of the bed and went to the bathroom. Stan took a little more time officially waking up and getting out of bed.

“What’s the plan for the day?” Stan asked as Ford exited the bathroom.

Ford shrugged.

“Wanna get in trouble?” Stan waggled his eyebrows at his brother.

“No.” Ford deadpanned.

“You’re no fun.” Stan pouted.

\--

Stan promised he wouldn’t purposefully try and get into trouble but it had a way of finding him. He gritted his teeth as two octopus men wrapped their tentacles around his joints. “C’mon guys,” He grunted, “I’m not into that kinky shit.”

The two octopus warbled at him and squeezed his wrists tighter. “Shut up, human! You thought you could  _ steal _ from us? Pathetic.”

“Hey, I wasn’t stealing!” Stan barked. He was walking down the street with Emily and Ford and got nudged by a crowd of little munchkins and he bumped into the octopus. A few blocks later and Stan was pulled into the dark alley. They were peeved off regardless. They tightened their tentacles around his wrists to the point where he actually winced.

“Hey!” A voice barked from the end of the alleyway. The octopus turned and Stan leaned around them to see who it was because it wasn’t Ford or even Emily’s voice. His stomach dropped when he saw who it was. Spiky blue hair and a stupid white lab coat. Figures.

“You stay out of this!” One octopus warbled.

“Yea, Sanchez!” Stan barked, “I got this!”

The pale, lanky man blew a raspberry. “As if! It looks like -urp-” of course he was drinking when  _ wasn’t  _ he drinking? “-you could use some- use my help, Pines.”

Stan rolled his eyes. He could handle this. He just needed to get a moment to wiggle free and punch one right in his squishy face. He did not need saving especially by Rick Sanchez. Though, maybe he could find a way to chat Rick up for a portal gun to get Emily home, the guy couldn’t say no to Emily could he? He wasn’t that much of a heartless asshole.

Rick walked forward, stumbling over a piece of paper in the process, until he was right in front of the two octopi. Up close Stan could see just how drunk Rick was; his eyes were bloodshot, his cheeks were obnoxiously bright red against his pale ass skin, and he had some drool - puke maybe - dripping from the corner of his mouth. “You guys should-should release my -urp- him.”

The octopi snickered and that was all Stan needed. They’d loosened their grip on his wrist just enough so he could wiggle it free. Before they processed what was going on he punched one right in the face. It squished under his fist and he almost puked at the sensation. There was nothing solid, no bone, no cartilage, nothing, just  _ squish _ . The two warbled loudly but Rick punched the second in the face.

Despite being drunk Rick was pretty limber as the two punched the octopi into mush. Once the octopus men were wiggling in a mushy pile in the corner of the alley Rick and Stan left for the main road. Stan sort of felt bad for beating them up but they were going to break his wrists or whatever.

Rick pulled out a flask from his lab coat and look a long drink from it. He offered the flask to Stan who turned it down. “So wh- _ arp- _ you doing- why are you in Central?”

“You know,” Stan started, “you’d probably talk better if ya weren’t so filthy stickin’ drunk all the time.”

“H-hey,” Rick pointed a bony finger at Stan, “we all deal with-with our pr- _ uurp _ -blems our own way. I drink. And you, you-you fu- _ uuuurp _ -ck your brother cuz of- cuz you have daddy issues.”

“I do not have daddy issues!” Stan snapped.

Rick just smirked before he wiped his mouth on the back of his mouth. “Didn’t answer my question, Pines.”

Stan shrugged. “Just ended up here. Why do you care?”

“F-ford figure out portal guns yet?”

“We haven’t had time or resources.” Stan’s voice dripped with poison. Rick was always up Ford’s ass about not being as smart as he thought he was. He couldn’t even make a simple portal gun yet the  _ drunkard _ could. Stan hated it. He was positive Ford would be able to figure it out if they were just able to stop for a bit. They were constantly running between dimensions and had no time or resources to even think about making a portal gun. Maybe Stan could convince Ford to do that here.

“Speaking of the other brother fucker, where-where is he?” Rick asked. Stan wanted to deck Rick right in the face but held off. Rick could be useful.

“Dunno. Octopi dragged me off.” Stan shrugged.

“You - _ buuurp _ -” Rick belched so loudly if it were anyone else Stan would have complimented him, “you don’t seem too worried. Usually you’re-you freak out.”

“I’m capable of being without my twin you know.” Stan snapped.

Rick shrugged before flashing Stan a dangerous grin. Rick had found Stan not too long after the Pines twins fell into the portal. Sure he didn’t help get them home but he’d helped them out of a few sticky situations before. Part of the reason was Ford had gloated how smart he was but, low and behold, Rick was just as smart - if not smarter - than the eldest twin. Rick just drowned his wisdom with alcohol.

“Stanley!” Ford’s voice cut through the constant buzz of the city around the two criminals. Stan’s head snapped up so fast he felt it crack. His twin slipped through the crowd, Emily in tow, and grabbed Stan into a tight hug. “Where did you go? I turned around and you were gone! And,” Ford stopped when he noticed Rick standing there. “Rick?”

“Nice to see you again.” Rick smiled before his eyes noticed Emily who had hugged Stan as well. “Who is this ho- _ urp _ -hot little thing?”

Stan glared and wrapped his arm around Emily’s shoulders. Ford was the one who answered, “This is Emily, she’s with us.”

Rick quirked an eyebrow as he looked Emily up and down.

“Hey, Sixer,” Stan turned his attention to his twin, “why don’t we get a portal gun? And go home.” Emily perked up at that.

“I don’t know, Stanley…” Ford frowned.

“I can- I’ll help you.” Rick piped up.

“You will?”

“What’s the catch?” Stan glared at Rick.

Rick smirked and finally drew his eyes away from Emily. “A date with this beauty.”

“No way.” Stan hissed. No way was he going to let Rick Sanchez anywhere near Emily especially alone. Rick was a sleaze bag and Emily was  _ Stan’s _ .

“Will you really help?” Emily asked.

“Of course, doll.” Rick smiled softly before belching rather loudly.

“Emily,” Stan tugged on her shoulders, “we can figure it out by ourselves and-”

“Sure.” Emily agreed.

Rick whooped as Stan’s jaw dropped.

“Emily.” Ford hissed.

“It’s one date.” Emily shrugged. “I’m a strong girl, I can manage… and besides…” Her cheeks flushed as she looked at the ground, “I want to go home.”

Rick quirked an eyebrow but didn’t ask any questions. Stan sighed. She was right. He had no control over what Emily did and if Rick did help them with a portal gun… 

“So,” Emily looked up at Rick with a shy smile, “where do you want to go?”

Rick’s eyes lit up as he wrapped his arm around Emily’s shoulder and pulled her away from Stan. She looked so short next to that lanky fuck. Stan wanted to do something but Ford placed his hand on his arm. “Waddaya say I - _ urp-  _ we go to a nice little place to get some-eat some food?”

“First,” Ford stepped forward, “you have to promise to return her to our hotel unharmed and completely sober.”

“Where’s the-the fun in that?” Rick pouted. Ford glared and revealed his gun holstered to his hip. Ford could be incredibly intimidating when he wanted to. Rick rolled his eyes, “Stanford, you’re not the only- the only one with a gun.” He pulled back his own lab coat and showed off his own gun.

Emily elbowed Rick in the ribs and pulled away from him. “You should know I’m a damn good shot myself, Mister.”

“Feisty.” Rick purred before looking back at the twins, “Where-what motel?” Stan gave him the address and Rick nodded, knowing the location. “Don’t worry… I’ll keep this little- I’ll keep her safe.”

Stan wanted to stop the two as they walked off but he kept his mouth shut. They needed help. Ford patted his shoulder. “She’ll be ok.” Ford said. “She’s tough and…” He sighed deeply, “we’ll need Sanchez’s help if we want to get a portal gun. I don’t dare steal one and work on it… and I have no idea how in the hell he figured it out himself.”

Stan nibbled on his lower lip, he had a bad feeling about this. “Fine. Just…” he glanced at Ford, “wanna help me forget?”

Ford rolled his eyes but took Stan’s hand regardless and started to lead him through the streets opposite of where Rick and Emily disappeared. Stan wasn’t sure he trusted Rick but the guy was human and was the closest thing they had to a “friend” in the multiverse. Not to mention he could probably make some weird ass invention with the odd junk in Stan’s backpack that would better his life.

“So where did you disappear to?” Ford asked.

“Some octopi men thought I stole from ‘em. Rick and I kicked their asses though.”

“Rick just showed up?”

Stan shrugged. Rick could do whatever wanted because he had a stupid portal gun. Rick ran odd missions all across the multiverse and had what Stan wanted - freedom. Rick could go wherever he wanted whenever he wanted and, more importantly, he could go home whenever he wanted. Not that Stan had a home but he could make one! He could live in that ugly house Ford had. Or they could go sailing across the ocean. Emily would probably love that, being out on the ocean with the twins. But, she said she wanted to go home. Did she mean Maine? What would happen if - no when - they got back to Earth?

Stan’s hand clamped tightly around Ford’s. He had Ford. He didn’t need to get greedy. He’d enjoy every second he had with Emily as he had done so far but when she wanted to go back to her cat and father and  _ family _ he wouldn’t hold her back. He’d already fucked up his own life and Ford’s and he wouldn’t do that to Emily. At least Stan and Ford would be able to make their mistakes work out for the better. They could go back home and Ford could make all sorts of inventions and sell them for way too much money and they could take money baths all the time. It would work out in the end. It would be better for Emily to just go home anyways. She still had a home.

Ford rubbed his thumb along Stan’s hand. He knew something was bothering Stan but didn’t push it. Stan would tell him. Maybe when they weren’t in a crowded street. “Hey, Sixer, how about a shower at the hotel?”

“That’s what you want to do?” Ford quirked an eyebrow.

“What? I get to see you completely naked and soaking wet, sounds pretty damn good t’ me.” Stan waggeld his eyebrows and earned a small smile from his twin. “Besides,” he pressed close to Ford, “I didn’t say we couldn’t get all sweaty and dirty before we shower…” Sure he had learned to appreciate cuddling and less sexual though still highly intimate moments but… sex was an amazing luxury and Emily was out of the hotel for a while. It was like they’d sent their child off on a sleepover and they could finally fuck like bunnies… only Emily was certainly not their child.

\--

Stan didn’t know which felt better. The hot water pelting his chest or his brother’s hands sliding up and down his back. He groaned and let his head fall back against Ford’s shoulder. His mind was hazy after rolling around the sheets with Ford. His legs felt like jelly and he could die right this second and be happy. Ford chuckled against Stan’s neck as his hands trailed around his sides to play with his chest hair.

“That good?”

Stan could only respond with a hum as he let Ford run his hands all over Stan’s slick body. How Ford still had so much energy was a mystery Stan would like to solve. Ford planted little kisses on Stan’s neck and held him for a while.

“I take it you’re not mad at me?” Stan asked, his voice was rough from all his screaming earlier.

“Why would I be mad at you?” Ford’s voice was gentle as his hands played a beat against Stan’s hips.

“The whole Emily thing.”

Ford shrugged. “I’m still frustrated that you didn’t tell me and that you let her have a panic attack that you caused-” Stan opened his mouth to argue but Ford just continued, “but I’m ok. I still love you, probably against my better judgement.” Incest was probably scratching at Ford’s mind telling him just how  _ filthy _ this all was. Stan frowned, he didn’t want that word to bother him anymore, he didn’t give a fuck. “And I am fond of Emily… or did you forget I kissed her?”

Stan stirred at that. Yea. He got to watch his brother kiss the hell out of her and it had-

“Really Stanley?” Ford huffed.

-Aroused him.

“What can I say?” Stan shrugged, “It’s hot watching the two I love make out.”

“We didn’t make out. We merely kissed but,” Ford leaned close to Stan’s ear as his hand snaked down to Lil’ Stan who was stirring to life from the memory, “she’s one helluva kisser…” Ford nibbled on Stan’s earlobe as his hand closed around Stan’s hardening length. “Her lips were so nice and soft… and her whole body is  _ so _ soft.” He purred into Stan’s ear and Stan sucked in a deep breath. This shouldn’t be as arousing as it was. Yet here he was; his twin telling him all about kissing a girl while stroking Lil’ Stan back to full mast with their bodies pressed together in the shower.

“God,” Stan let his head fall back once again onto Ford’s shoulder, “I love you, Sixer.”

Ford chuckled before kissing Stan’s bare shoulder. “I love ya too, ya knucklehead. Now let’s get cleaned up… no telling when Emily and Rick will come back.”

The mention of Rick Sanchez removed every ounce of arousal from Stan’s body. He grumbled and pushed away from his twin unsatisfied. “Yea, better bring Emily back unharmed or he’s gonna get a good punch in the nose.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really tempted to write some smut for Emily in a Stanwich.


	20. Chapter Twenty

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the big delays between updates. Smut is being worked on though pretty slowly. I'll try and update when I can. Until then, I hope you enjoy~

Rick wasn’t a gentleman. He made Stan look like a saint. He was rude and a jerk yet Emily found herself kind of having fun. Rick dragged her to a restaurant and told her about what was good to eat and what would give her the shits for two days straight. While they ate he asked her all sorts of questions; why she was in the multiverse, why she was with the twins, was she  _ with  _ the twins? Emily kept her answers short.

“Kinda jealous,” Rick said before burping loudly, “That Stanley he’s got- he has a great ass. Always wanted to - _ urp _ \- smack it.”

“That’s weird.” Emily blurted out.

Rick quirked an eyebrow at her, a half of his unibrow really, “But you’re- they’re fucking each other.”

Emily frowned. She didn’t have an answer for that. Yes she knew the twins were together and it was wrong and all that. “I mean… you should really ask permission before smacking someone’s ass.”

Rick snorted. “You-you’re a funny girl, you know that?” Rick didn’t wait for an answer as he flopped some money onto the table and pulled Emily out of the place. He draped his arm around her shoulder and leaned heavily against her. He pulled a flask out of his lab coat and drank deeply from it. He then offered it to Emily, “This is summa the-the best - _ urp _ \- alcohol you can get in the whole-entire multiverse.”

Emily eyed it a little before she took the flask and sniffed it. It smelled not like any alcohol she’d ever smelled. It was sweet? But sharp? It made her curious, against her better judgement, so she tipped the flask a little and took a small sip. It burned down her throat but a warmth spread throughout her entire body. “Woah…” She whispered. Her head was pleasantly warm and her belly hot and full with the liquor.

“Nice, right?” Rick smiled at her as she passed the flask back.

Emily sighed as Rick lead her through the streets. She really wasn’t taking in the people around her or even where she was going. She was just enjoying the hot, fuzzy feeling in her stomach. Something in the back of her mind nagged at her that she shouldn’t be so trusting; Stan and even Ford had seemed hesitant about Rick being around Emily. And now she was kinda buzzed with the man. She made a promise to herself she wouldn’t take another sip because that one was more than enough. Though… Emily licked her lips, that stuff was sweet and she wanted more sweet things.

Emily sucked in a deep breath. Chocolate.

“What’s up?” Rick asked, quirking his eyebrow at her.

“Chocolate.” She breathed.

He laughed, his laugh was grating and hoarse on her ears. “I’ll get ya some chocolate if-if you want.”

Emily nodded. Rick seemed so at ease walking through the streets. He was confident and didn’t seem nervous or hesitant like Ford was. He didn’t seem worried about being spotted by the police or pissing someone off. Maybe that was the perk of having a portal gun. He could go wherever he wanted.

“Hey, Rick?”

“Wha- _ uuuuurp _ -t’s up?”

She wanted to ask him to take her home. He could do it. But it felt wrong to leave Stan and Ford behind. She had to help them. “Will you help Ford make a portal gun?”

“Thought that’s what our- the deal was.”

She didn’t want to say she didn’t trust him. But she didn’t trust him.

Rick huffed, irritated, “I said I’ll - _ hic- _ help so I’ll- I’m a man of my word.”

“I didn’t mean to insult you.” Emily said gently. “I just… I don’t want them stuck in the multiverse anymore.”

“Why? Fordsy fu- _ uuuuup- _ cked up and Stan went after him.”

“Don’t you talk shit about Ford.” Emily snapped.

“Yeesh, hit-hit a nerve did I?” Rick gave her a smirk and she pulled away ever so slightly. He had drool slipping down his chin again and it was gross. “I’m right- It’s true. Ford made a mistake and-and he’s paying for it.” Rick shrugged.

“So if I weren’t around you’d just let them suffer here?”

“Probably.” Rick deadpanned.

“You disgust me.”

“Sweetheart,” Rick pulled Emily close and held her to his side, “you-you know as well-you know the multiverse isn’t fair.”

“But you’re human like they are.”

“That supposed to mean something to-to me?” Rick quirked an eyebrow at her. “Humans are-are a pathetic race.”

Emily frowned. “As long as you’ll help them now.”

“I’m not- I’m helping you. Don’t-don’t confuse this.”

“Why?”

Rick shrugged, “I’m a good guy what can I say?” Emily snorted. “What’s it like being in that-that Stanwich?”

“I’m sorry?” Emily wasn’t positive she heard that right. Her head was a little fuzzy after all.

“You heard me.” He grinned down at her. “You bed up with-with them - the twins?”

“No!” Emily had to be bright red as she shook her head. Sure she’d slept  _ next  _ to them but not the way he was implying.

“Damn. Always - _ urp _ \- thought that would be a good time… they have- they got a lot of pent up emotions. Usually makes for a - _ burp _ \- fun fuck-fucking.”

Emily could understand why Ford didn’t like Rick. He was a lot like Stanley only… worse. Rick didn’t seem to mind that Emily didn’t answer him, he dragged her along and popped into a crowded store. Emily couldn’t stop herself from digging her hand into Rick’s side as he slithered through the mass of bodies. There wasn’t an inch for Emily to move without nudging someone. It made her heart hammer and she worried so very badly that she would lose Rick and have no idea where she was or where to go to get home. Rick hardly seemed phased as he grabbed several items from the crowded shelves and bought whatever it was. Emily didn’t even see his slender hand shoot out past the bodies to grab the items until they were back on the street and he passed her a chocolate bar the size of her face.

Her mouth watered as she took the chocolate bar. “Thank you.”

“No problem, sweetcheeks.” He slapped her ass and she reeled back away from him. “What? Payment for buying you that chocolate. It’s the best stuff you can find in Central.”

Emily wanted chocolate but she didn’t want her ass slapped for it. But it was too late now. “Do it again without asking I’ll-” Emily wasn’t sure what to threaten because she needed his help. The smirk on Rick’s face spoke volumes. Emily huffed and held the chocolate bar a little tighter.

\--

Rick wasn’t lying. He knew the best items in Central. He had the best alcohol, got Emily the best chocolate, knew the place to get the best food. It was kind of like having a personal tour guide… only Rick was drunk and rude and really didn’t offer any information about Central. He draped his arm around Emily’s shoulder and walked her through the streets. He chatted to her about all the adventures he’d been on - making a point to go into detail about his sexual endeavors - he hinted, not so subtly, that he was interested in Emily and getting with her but she ignored each and every comment. She was  _ not _ interested in him but she wanted to stay on his good side so he’d help out with the portal gun.

“And then I-” Rick disappeared from Emily’s side. She stopped and blinked. She spun in circles but Rick was gone. Panic bubbled in her chest as a cold chill ran through her body. There were beings around her just going about their day not noticing her. Emily sucked in a deep breath, trying to calm herself a little. “Lee!” Rick’s voice was faint through the panic in Emily’s head. Her head snapped towards the direction of his voice and she hurried down an alleyway.

Rick was pinned against the wall by a giant who seemed to be made of pure bulging muscles. It had its forearm up under Rick’s chin pressing him into the wall. Rick was making futile attempts to claw and kick at the thing but it wasn’t phased.

“Hey!” Emily snapped as she drew out her axe.

“You have a gun!” Rick barked at her.

The being backed off when Emily rushed forward. She didn’t attack it and instead put herself between Rick and the being. Rick’s slender hand tugged at her jacket and he pulled her - Ford’s - sidearm from the holster. “Why don’t you use this?” Rick asked waving the gun in her face.

“You!” The being bellowed, it’s dark red skin started to glow, like actually glow. Rick didn’t seem interested as he huffed and drew out his own gun.

“I told ya, we can fight  _ later _ .” Rick rolled his eyes as he lazily aimed both guns at the being.

The being growled, deep in the back of its throat. It sounded like those mutant creatures that sent shivers straight down Emily’s back. She put away her axe and slung her gun off her shoulder. She clicked it into a shotgun and aimed. The being didn’t back off still but Rick gave her an approving smile.

“Look,” Rick dropped his gun to his side but Emily refused, she didn’t like the way the thing was looking at Rick. Not to mention it was too tall and too muscle-y. It’s thighs were the size of Emily’s waist. “We can fight over this later, can’t you tell- can’t you see I’m on a date with a -burp- pretty girl?” Emily rolled her eyes.

“Like I give a shit.” It charged forward and pinned Rick back into the wall. Emily lifted her gun and fired into its back. It howled and turned on Emily but Rick opened fire. It screamed and ran out of the alleyway. Rick huffed and handed Emily back her gun.

“G-good shot.” Rick patted Emily’s shoulder as she put her weapons away. “I’ll deal with him l-later. I, uh, owe him some - _ urp _ \- schmeckles.” Emily quirked an eyebrow; Ford had mentioned that form of currency before but Emily thought it was… stupid. “C’mon, let’s not let this ruin the- ruin our date.”

“This isn’t a date.”

“Yes it - _ uuuuurp _ \- is.” Rick draped an arm around Emily’s shoulders and pulled her back into the streets. “Where we- where you wanna go?”

“You’re the one dragging me all over the place.” Emily retorted.

“Awww, don’t be like that, baby.” Rick purred into Emily’s ear before he belched.

“Ew!” Emily shoved him away and wrinkled her nose.

Rick narrowed his eyes at her and she pulled away a little more. He reached his hand out and looped a bony finger against her neck and pulled out her necklace. “Moonstone?”

“Yes?”

“Looks nice.” Rick hummed and looped his finger around it and tugged Emily closer until they were almost nose to nose. “I like this look more though…”

“Rick.” Emily hissed.

“Just testin’ ya.” Rick smirked and pulled away. “You really care ‘bout those - _ burp _ \- twins, don’tcha?”

“I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them.”

Rick looked down at Emily, “Oh?”

And then he started to push for information. Emily kept out the pre-portal badness with her ex and whatnot and explained how she found the twins and briefly the things they’d been through. Rick hummed and nodded along with her story. Once she was finally done Rick patted her shoulder and promised he’d help her get a portal gun. He then hinted that she’d be a pretty good mercenary if she wanted. He even gave her a scrap of paper with how to get to his home in case she ever needed him for  _ anything  _ \- he had waggled his unibrow at her suggestively as spit dripped from the corner of his mouth.

\--

Stan was passed out in Ford’s arms when the older twin heard a knock on the door. He quirked his eyebrow and glanced at his watch. It was late. Really late. He grunted as he pushed himself out of the bed. Stan stirred a little but didn’t wake up, he was exhausted after their rough lovemaking. Stan reached his hands out into the bed and Ford realized Emily wasn’t back. He stumbled to the door in the dimly lit room and yanked it open.

Emily beamed up up at Ford with a clearly drunken smile. “Hi Ford!” Her words were slurred as she fell away from Rick and into Ford’s chest.

“What did you do to her?” He snapped to Rick who had a similar drunken smile.

“What?” Rick’s face was red and his eyes were bloodshot. “We were just… just having fun - havin’ a good time.”

Emily was a dead weight against Ford, he had to grab her under the arm and keep her on her feet. She was giggling and speaking nonsense as she slid her hands along Ford’s chest.

“I’ll-” Rick belched so hard he almost puked Ford groaned, “I’ll be back tomorrow. See ya, Kitten.”

Emily said something close to a goodbye with her drunken slur before Rick stumbled away from the motel room. Now Ford had a drunk girl draping over him and he wasn’t sure if she’d puke or not. He managed to kick the door shut and started to lead her into bathroom. Emily slid to the floor rather gracefully and started to giggle as she hugged the toilet. Ford pinched his nose before he went to wake Stan up. He would know what to do.

Stan swatted at Ford when he started shaking his shoulders. “C’mon, Stanley, it’s Emily.” That woke the younger twin up. He shot up in bed and looked around. “She’s in the bathroom. Rick got her drunk. I don’t know what to do.” Stan crawled out of bed and went into the bathroom. Ford followed and watched Stan wordlessly wet a washcloth and press it to Emily’s face.

“How ya feelin’?” He finally asked.

“Just  _ fiiiine _ .” She purred.

“Can I take off your boots?”

“You can take off whatever you want.”

Stan didn’t say a word as he unlaced her boots and slid them from her feet. She started to babble about her night out with Rick but it was mostly drunken slurs. Stan just held the washcloth to her face and rubbed her back a little. Ford waited in the doorway until Emily started to get drowsy. Emily promised she wouldn’t puke in the bed as the twins helped her into the bed.

Once she was passed out Emily took up the entire bed with her legs and arms splayed over the place. Ford sighed and looked to Stan who was putting the washcloth back into the sink. “Thank you.” Ford replied.

“What never had to deal with a drunk before?”

Ford shook his head. “I mean Fidds and I got a little drunk once or twice but…” He looked at Emily who was starting to snore.

“Yea,” Stan looked to the girl, “she’s pretty drunk… thankfully if I know Rick the stuff he drinks shouldn’t give her a hangover. That would be awful.”

“Do you know what Rick usually drinks?”

Stan nodded as he started to push Emily onto her side. “Yea, we went out one time. He has some pretty good tastes. Stuff he drinks is wicked sweet so it’s no wonder Emily got so drunk off it. C’mon, let’s get some sleep. I’ll get in the middle so if she pukes it’ll be on me.”

Ford huffed but crawled into bed with Stan. Stan draped an arm around him and pulled him close. “Just sleep, Sixer, Rick’ll keep his word and help us out, maybe we can punch him for getting Emily drunk, and then we can go home and be done with this shithole.”

“Yea.” Ford sighed and took a deep breath before telling himself he should really sleep. It would be alright. Emily would be fine. Stan would be fine. And soon they’d be able to go back to Earth and forget about this whole mess.


	21. Chapter Twenty-One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to everyone who has left comments and kudos and just plain read the story. Thank you. It's given me the drive to continue the story and finish it.
> 
> So, enjoy~

Rick kept his word. He showed up not long after Emily woke up moaning about being thirsty. He had on a clean shirt and didn’t look blind stinking drunk. He actually looked presentable. Stan wondered if that was what he was like before he started to drown his pain in alcohol.

“So, this,” Rick drew out his portal gun and set it down next to Ford.

Stan glanced to his twin who started to look the gun over. Stan wondered if Ford would ever turn to alcohol like Rick did. Stan had been an alcoholic for a little while, while he was homeless, but man liquor was expensive! Stan felt better once he dropped the habit, he could think more rationally and had more money to buy gas and food.

“What are they talking about?” Emily whispered, tugging on Stan’s sleeve.

“Nerd stuff, toots.” Stan replied as he watched Ford scribble notes into his journal. Rick nodded and smiled ever so slightly. Stan flopped onto the bed and scribbled in his own journal. It was going to be a long few days until Ford could make a portal gun. And then. Home. He could go home. He could stop running. He’d been running for  _ so  _ long.

“Hey, Emily.” Stan asked while Ford and Rick were talking about what materials they needed.

“Hm?”

“Where are you going to go when we get home?”

“What do you mean?” Emily asked.

“I mean,” Stan sighed, “are you going back to Maine?”

“I don’t know.” Emily admitted. “I’ve been gone a while… and I don’t know if going home would help or hurt. They think I’m dead and how would I even explain where I’ve been? They’d probably think I was crazy and put me in a mental institute.”

“Would they really do that?”

“They were already thinking it before I disappeared and,” Emily sighed and curled into herself, “I don’t want to go into a mental institute. But…” She looked up at Stan, “I don’t know where else I’d go.”

“What do you mean? You can come live with Ford and me.” Emily peered up at Stan. He gave her a warm smile. She seemed uncertain and she started to worry her lower lip. Stan looped his arm around her and tugged her closer. “Don’t worry, toots, we’ll take care of you.”

Emily nodded but didn’t seem convinced.

\--

“Hey, can we have some fun tonight?” Stan asked. The motel room had been quiet for a little while. Ford was busy going over his notes with Rick hovering over his shoulder.

“Gross.” Emily muttered against his back where she had curled up.

“I meant going to a bar or somethin’ but hey, yer welcome t’ join in.”

“Stanley.” Ford huffed while Rick laughed.

“What?” Stan played innocent. “I can’t help it. I’m with but the two most beautiful people in the whole multiverse.” He could practically feel them both roll their eyes at him. “And the biggest asshole that knows how to party.” Rick snorted.

“Wait,” Emily sat up and leaned over Stan’s side, “there’s bars here? Like with alien liquor and everything?” Her eyes darted to Rick.

Stan snorted. “‘Course toots, they got some stuff that’ll really fuck you up.”

“Some of that shit is- is even better than what I got.” Rick added. “Get-get you real - _ uuurp _ \- drunk.”

“We are  _ not _ going to get drunk. We do not need to get in any trouble and wind up in jail or worse.”

Stan rolled his eyes. “Fine, why don’t we just go to a club? Have some fun. C’mon we’re still young and we gotta enjoy life a little.” Ford didn’t seemed convinced. Yet.

“I know a-a place.” Rick chimed in.

Emily liked the idea of going to a club. She said she hadn’t been to a club in a long time and apparently she liked to dance. Stan wanted to dance with her, see how she managed. He’d danced with some pretty amazing dancers - Carla McCorkle being the first one he thought of - and he wondered how Emily would hold up. Especially with the loud, foreign music in the multiverse clubs.

\--

Stan got his way. He always did. He had a way of convincing Ford. He pinned Ford against the bathroom counter and kissed his neck until Ford was a quivering mess begging for him to stop because “damn it, Stanley, Rick and Emily will hear”. Stan murmured against Ford’s neck that he would stop if they could go to a club together. It took a little longer, and a harsh bite to his collarbone but Ford eventually agreed. Stan dragged Ford in for a hot, forceful kiss but had pulled away too quick with his usual smirk. He always got his way.

The trio headed to a club that night with Rick leading the way. The music could be felt long before they arrived at the club. The beat hammered through Stan’s bones. Rick disappeared into the building before Stan even saw the door. He lead the other two into the dimly lit club where the music was pounding louder than anything. Conversations weren’t usually had in a place like this. It was just too damn loud. Still Stan managed to order a drink for his lovers at the bar; Rick could go fuck himself. This was a place where people could go to forget themselves. Emily’s eyes were wide in the dark room as lights flashed in a wide variety of colors. They illuminated the mass of bodies moving to the music. Ford looked around with a little more dignity but Stan could see he was excited about the different beings to watch. Weirdo. Stan took a small sip of his drink as he handed out the other two. Emily didn’t question the blue drink that was pushed into her hands she downed it in one go. He quirked an eyebrow at her. It wasn’t any normal alcohol from their dimension and he knew this stuff was pretty strong yet she barely shuddered as she downed the liquor. Maybe Rick had changed up what he drank.

Stan leaned closed to Emily and felt like he still had to yell into her ear, “Might wanna take it easy there, toots. The night’s still young.” Emily just flashed him a wicked grin. 

Ford didn’t want to dance so he nursed his drink at the bar and watched Stan’s drink while Stan pulled Emily into the mass of bodies. Ford would probably just stare at the different beings to learn how they moved. He was never much of a dancer anyways, he was too self conscious even in the mass of bodies who didn’t give two fucks who was dancing beside them. Stan was eager to dance and lose himself amongst all the bodies moving around him. He gave up trying to keep track of Rick after looking once around the mass of wiggling bodies; he wasn’t Rick’s caretaker after all.

Emily was self conscious at first, like Ford was, until Stan grabbed her hips and tugged her closer. “C’mon baby,” he purred into her ear, “nobody’s lookin’, just let go.” It took a bit but soon the two were dancing rather dirty with one another. Emily closed her eyes and let her body move how it wanted, her hands slid up his sides as her hips swayed and slid across Stan’s. Stan couldn’t keep his hands to himself as she danced around him. Her hands were soft and small as she slid them under his jacket. Stan gripped her hips and turned her around so her back was pressed into his chest. She didn’t seem to care as her hands settled over his and her hips pressed back into his. He kissed the back of her neck as they moved in sync. Now all he needed was Ford and his life would be perfect. Stan told himself he’d drag Ford onto the dancefloor after this song because Ford was quite the dirty dancer when the beat was just right and he had just enough liquor not to care. Stan would give anything to have his hands gripping Emily’s hips while grinding into her ass while Ford did the same to him. Ford knew where to trail his hands to leave shivers on Stan’s body. Ford knew when to snap his hips forward causing a sharp gasp to escape Stan’s lips. And he wanted it. He wanted it so bad.

Emily turned in Stan’s grasp and he trailed his hands from her hips to her ass. Emily’s hands tangled into Stan’s hair and he looked down at her and instantly drew his hands back to her hips. Her eyes were hazy and unfocused, that drink might have been too much for her though it wasn’t a light alcohol it clearly got to her. She pulled on his hair and stood on her tiptoes trying to get him to kiss her. She wasn’t in any state to kiss anyone. He sighed, as much as he wanted to kiss her he couldn’t not when she was like this, he pushed her away and danced with her a little longer. He had made a promise to himself to never take advantage of anyone while intoxicated. It had happened to him before and he remembered the slush of bad emotions when he finally came to and realized he’d been forced into kissing someone he didn’t want to. Emily’s movements were getting less coordinated as they danced, her hands were digging into his scalp as she tried to keep her balance. She was a lightweight. Maybe Stan should have started with something that wasn’t as strong. Maybe a liquor she was used to; tequila maybe. She looked like a tequila girl. Her hands dropped and she gripped his shoulders, her head was swaying on its own.

“C’mon toots…” Stan dug his hands into her armpits and led her off the dancefloor. She was all loose limbs and Stan found himself hefting most of her weight as they walked -stumbled - to the bar.

Ford wasn’t at the bar. There were two glasses on the bar where Ford had settled. One empty and one still full. Stan leaned Emily onto the bar and picked up the empty glass. He hollered to the bartender. A rock had started to settle in his stomach. Ford wasn’t one to just leave without saying anything to Stan. Maybe he had to piss, he did down that drink pretty quick. But he wouldn’t have left Stan’s drink behind - could get spiked in a place like this.

“Where did the guy go?” He barked pointing to the drinks.

“Went off with some pixie-chick.” The bartender shrugged.

“What did you give us?” Stan yelled as he shook the empty glass.

“I can’t tell you that.” The bartender replied calmly.

“Who paid you?” Stan barked, his body starting to feel hot with anger.

“I can’t tell you that.” The bartender turned away as if Stan were just asking if they had a drink they didn’t serve.

Stan’s blood went cold. Someone had drugged his twin and Emily and he had almost fallen prey to it if he hadn’t wanted to dance with Emily right away. And now. Ford. Ford. Fuck. Where was he? Stan’s heart started to pound in his head louder than the music. His vision was getting blurry from panic, his mind was threatening to scatter. Ford. Ford. Ford.

Emily leaned heavily into Stan, her lips moved but he couldn’t hear her. He needed to get her some place safe. He glared at the bartender who was cleaning the glasses. The bartender had already scooped up Stan’s drink knowing it was spiked. Fucker. Stan wanted to jump across the bar and strangle the bartender for taking part in drugging his lovers. He knew it would get him nowhere. The bartender was probably paid good money and knew nothing other than who to drug. Stan couldn’t take his anger out on the bartender, he needed information, and he needed to keep his head on for just a little longer.

“What did the pixie look like?” Stan barked to the bartender.

“Red, short hair, fully grown.” The bartender shrugged again. “I’m not saying anything else. And you can’t pay me to talk. Just count your losses and leave.” Stan sneered at the bartender. His twin was missing that was not something to just walk away from. “Someone was willing to spend a lot of money to get all three of you so I’d be careful.”

Stan huffed and grabbed Emily knowing the bartender was done with him, she moaned and leaned into Stanley. Her eyes were fluttering and her face was red and covered in sweat. She needed to get back to the hotel and then Stan could focus on finding his twin. Thinking about being separated from Ford was making him feel sick. Who? Where? How? Fuck! Emily staggered after Stan as he hurried from the club. His eyes scanned the dark room wondering if the pixie was still here or if the buyer was around because the pixie was probably just another pawn. He didn’t see anyone suspicious as he exited the bar and he didn’t dare linger too much longer. Whatever was in their drinks had really taken its toll on Emily and he was worried she was going to get a lot worse before she got better. That and he didn’t feel safe in the dark room with too much noise with a sick girl leaning into him.

The cool air smacked Stan in the face as he shoved the door open. Emily bent over and puked right on the sidewalk. Stan groaned and pulled her along. She moaned and groaned and complained the entire way. Stan felt every hair on his body stand on end. He was so vulnerable trying to carry Emily. He toyed with the idea of picking her up and just running but she’d probably puke again and he didn’t want to deal with getting covered in vomit which honestly was a small price to pay for getting some place safe. The walk was ten times longer going home than going in. Emily had to stop and puke every few blocks and Stan was nervous they were being followed. He wanted to puke too because Ford was gone. Kidnapped. Missing. They were separated. Again. 

When they finally returned to the hotel Stan stripped Emily and put her in the bathtub. She moaned into the side of the tub and fell asleep rather quickly. Stan tossed a blanket over her and sat on the lid of the toilet while he hurried through Ford’s journal while keeping an eye on the sick girl. They had gone to the club with nothing but a handful of credits and not much else. Ford had mentioned he’d seen a fully grown pixie, guy almost had a nerdgasm as he rambled about the pixie. The nerd must have written about it in his journal somewhere. Stan gave himself a paper cut by flipping the pages so fast, he stuck the hurt finger into his mouth and continued to flip through the pages. Finally, towards the end of the journal, Ford had drawn the pixie he had seen at the laundromat. The nerd made note of the reddish color of her and Stan knew this was the one who kidnapped his brother. Why the hell hadn’t she taken him then? He was alone. Why not when Stan hurried off alone shortly after? Why wait? Why did she want all of them? Had Bill found them? But Bill didn’t know Emily and why would he want her so badly? Unless it was for some leverage to get Ford to agree to something. Why go through so much effort though? Bill could easily manhandle the trio into submission if he knew where they were. Bill was devious and made sinister deals. So why go through all the trouble of spiking the drinks and getting someone to kidnap them? Stan didn’t have more than a tiny sip of his drink and could only assume his drink was spiked with whatever had made Emily so... 

She started to puke in her sleep. Stan swore and threw the journal aside and made sure Emily was ok. It reminded him of his homeless years taking care of people who had had too much to drink. He remembered how it felt to be curled up in a cold tub with nothing but the smell of his own vomit. Emily started to cry as she tried to push herself up and out of the tub. Her body was covered in sweat and she was so pale except for her cheeks which burned bright red.

“Lay down.” Stan’s voice was a little too harsh.

Her body shook as she obeyed him. Tears streamed down her face as she tried to go back to sleep. Stan watched her for a moment before he felt his own tears falling down his face. Ford was gone. Gone. Just. Gone. Stan had not much to go on besides a drawing of the could-be kidnapper and spiked drinks. Stan buried his face into his hands and started to sob. He had tasted heaven. He had seen what it looked like: Ford on one side and Emily on the other and now. Ford wasn’t here and Emily was a mess.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow Stan would hunt down Ford. He’d beat up whoever he felt could know information. He was  _ not  _ about to lose his twin again. No way. Tomorrow Emily would be, hopefully, stable and be able to help him find his twin. Tomorrow hopefully Rick would show up and be able to help. For now though. Stan stared down at Emily who was an absolute disaster before he dropped onto the floor and tried to fall asleep. He knew he wouldn’t sleep. He’d be lucky if he got a hint of sleep until he found Ford. He wanted to scream and punch a wall. Why the fuck was life shitting on him every turn? He was finally happy. He was  _ finally _ feeling good. But now… Ford was gone and Stan had his old wounds being ripped open after being abandoned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They can't catch a break can they? Oops. Don't worry. Things will work out... eventually.


	22. Chapter Twenty-Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Big ol' warnings for this chapter. Psychological horror. Mentions of blood and gore. Sadness. Lots of sadness and angst. 
> 
> Have fun.

There was no up. There was no down. There was no sense of gravity or substance but he didn’t feel like he was floating. He wasn’t sure if his eyes were open or closed because everything was black. There was nothing. He wiggled his fingers but couldn’t see them. He counted all twelve fingers and went to counting his toes.

Something slipped along his leg, like a smooth tentacle that didn’t snag on his clothes - he was wearing clothes right? Felt like it - the thing wrapped around his knee. It wasn’t slimy but Ford felt his body shudder at the silky texture of it around his knee.

_ Stanford _ . He heard his name being called. It came from inside his head. No. It came from the darkness. It was feminine. It was masculine. It was everything and nothing.  _ Stanford _ . It called again. Multiple voices. A single voice.

“What do you want?” Ford croaked out into the darkness.

Laughter echoed throughout every fiber of Ford’s being.  _ We want to play. _ The tendril around his leg squeezed and Ford howled in pain as his knee popped. The laughter continued, it enjoyed the sounds Ford made. The tip of the the tendril cut into Ford’s skin and dipped into the flesh of his thigh. Ford’s eyes squeezed shut as he screamed.

_ Scream. Scream. Scream _ . The voice - voices? - chanted as more tendrils wrapped around Ford’s other limbs and slid under the skin. His skin was literally crawling. He screamed and cried and begged for it to stop. The tendrils took great pleasure finding the tendons in his body before severing them. Ford’s whole body was on fire and he lost control of everything. He knew he was screaming. He knew there were hot tears coating his face. He couldn’t stop himself as the tendrils found a tendon in his forearm and ripped it off the bone, he screamed so loud his ears ached.

_ Next? Next!  _  The voices decided. A tendril wrapped around Ford’s head and squeezed. Ford screamed as everything turned hot white. When it passed he was sitting in his room. His room in Jersey. The one he shared with Stan. Stan.

“Where’s my brother?” Ford shouted. His body didn’t ache. He was standing on his feet, there was no blood or pain in any of his joints. His knee was healed.

“I’m right here, bro-bro.” A figure appeared in the doorway. It looked just like Stanley. Ford wanted to run to him but it wasn’t Stanley. It couldn’t be. His hair was too long. This was the Stanley from just before going to the portal. “Oh, wrong one? Sorry. There’s so many  _ beautiful _ memories.” The Mimic smirked before the hair shortened up and a little acne appeared on his face. “This is the right one, yes? Sorry, there are just so many images in that pretty little head of yours.” The Mimic trailed a finger down its chest. It wasn’t Stanley but it looked so much like him. 

“What do you want?” Ford snapped.

“To play with these lovely memories.” The Mimic rolled its wrists before approaching Ford. “It would have been more fun to play with all of you but…” It trailed the tip of a finger down Ford’s jaw. Stan’s hands were rougher than that. Always had been. This wasn’t Stan. Ford had to remind himself over and over.

“If I stay will you leave the other two alone?”

“Oh, gonna bargain already? Baby,” It purred and pressed itself close to Ford, “you don’t even know what we want to do to you…”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“Aw how brave… protecting your lovers. You’re pathetic.” It snapped before slapping Ford. “You tryin’ t’ make up fer fuckin’ yer brother’s life up? You tryin’ t’ redeem yourself?” Ford whimpered as it pinned him into the wall. “You’re a fucking failure, Stanford. You threw me out. You didn’t even look back when you kicked me out.”

“You’re not Stanley.” Ford hissed.

“That doesn’t change anything.” It smirked, its dark eyes were the wrong shade of brown. Not Stanley. Not Stanley. “You destroyed your brother’s life and now,” It pulled Ford close and whispered into his ear, “you’ve destroyed little Emily’s life.”

“No.”

Black tendrils slipped from Stanley’s arms and dug into Ford’s skin. “We will get that little human. The real Stanley too. You all have such broken memories that will be so much fun to play with.”

The room shifted. Stanley was upside down on the couch with his paddleboard. Ford watched like a fly on the wall as his younger self screamed at Stanley. Ford wanted to tell himself to stop. It would be ok. They’d figure it out. Stanley could stay at home. No. The younger Ford stormed off to his room while his father threw his twin out into the cold night. Ford could hear Stanley’s soft call, “High six?” through the window. Ford’s heart ached as he watched Stanley’s face fall. Ford had destroyed his brother’s life that day and he would gladly relive the day over and over and over if it meant Stan would never have to face these things.

\--

Stan was throwing things around the hotel room. He started with the pillows and blankets and now he was throwing anything he could get his hands on. Emily curled in the corner and sobbed. Stan couldn’t find Ford. Stan had no leads on the pixie or who hired the bartender. He was a mess without Ford. He snapped at Emily more than once as she tried to calm him. So she curled up and refused to make a sound.

“Who the fuck would want Stanford?” Stanley yelled as he smashed a lamp into the ground. “Why the  _ fuck _ won’t anyone answer me?” He turned his eyes on Emily. “This is  _ your _ fault! I wouldn’t have left Ford’s side that night if you hadn’t been there!”

Emily could only cry. She was the reason he was gone. She was the reason. She fucked up. Stanley stomped around the hotel room.

“You,” Stan pointed a finger at Emily, “stay here I’m going to go find my fucking brother and I don’t need you in the way.”

Emily nodded. Stan slammed the door behind him. Emily let out a sob and buried her face into her hands. She had to help. She had to get Ford back. Stanley was lost without him. Stan needed Stanford and Emily was the one who caused this. She had to remedy this. She had to find Rick because she wasn’t strong enough or smart enough. She had fucked up again and she needed help. Only Rick could help her now.

\--

He didn’t know where he was. He didn’t know if the pain he was feeling was because of  _ them _ or because of-

_ Stanford _ . The voices sang his voice. He was in the darkness. This wasn’t a memory. This was the weird dimension they lived in. So the pain in his joints was real. The tendrils slithered up his body and found the cuts they’d already used and slid under his skin. His eyes squeezed shut as they wrapped around muscle and bone all over his body. He started to feel like his whole body was swaying.

_ Ohh, too much, don’t lose him _ . The tendrils were removed and he felt his body warm up to an uncomfortably hot level. Every pore in his body started to sweat. He panted and gasped for breath as the heat grew unbearable. It was so dry. It felt like he was breathing in sand. Yet, when it dissipated he noticed his body didn’t ache. His joints were back in place and his tendons had healed as he wiggled his fingers a little. He sighed with relief.

The voices giggled.  _ Yes we’ll break you down but we’ll put you back don’t worry. Don’t worry. _

The tendrils returned, sliding over his body until they wrapped around his wrists and ankles. He was forced into a spread eagle position and held there. A tendril slithered up his back and wrapped around his neck tight enough to make it difficult to breathe but not enough to actually choke him. It hovered right on that line. Yet another tendril appeared on his hip and started to dig into the skin. It wormed its way in through the fat and muscle and wrapped around his pelvis. Spots of white dotted Ford’s vision as the tendrils clenched and unclenched around his body.

As long as they stayed away from Stan and Emily.

_ Oh we’ll find them _ . The voices promised.  _ We’ll take them. We’ll put you all in a little room and play your darkest fears. Don’t worry. Don’t worry. _

Ford opened his mouth to scream at them but a tendril shoved into his mouth cutting him off and gagging him. His eyes watered as the tendril forced its way down its throat. It had no taste and it was a little disorienting but he couldn’t focus. It was nearly impossible to breathe now. The tendril in his throat pulled out long enough for him to suck in a huge lungful of air before it forced its way back into his throat.

He wasn’t sure how long it continued like this. The tendril pulled out just before Ford started to suffocate and would only give him a second to catch his breath. More tendrils appeared and played with his bones and his muscles until his body was on fire from the pain. The voices whispered to him. Telling him what they were doing as they played with the threads of muscles. Telling him all about what they were going to do with Emily and Stan when they joined in on the fun. They played through each and every painful memory until Ford was numb to everything.

_ They won’t get Stan. They won’t get Emily. They won’t. _ Ford told himself over and over whenever he could. They made it hard to think. They dominated his thoughts. They ripped the pleasant memories he tried to run away to and turn them into nightmares. Instead of holding Emily and Stan in the middle of the night they’d be burning alive beside him. They’d be dead in his arms. They’d slap and punch and kick Stanford until he was crying and wouldn’t touch them. They blurred the memories until he couldn’t tell what was real or not. He was hesitant every time he saw Emily in his memories. He flinched whenever Stan appeared. He cried when he was returned to the darkness because no matter how much Emily and Stan hated him in those moments… Ford loved them and he didn’t want them to leave him.

\--

Emily was crying. Stan crouched next to her and whispered into her hair. She was ok. She was ok. It would be ok. She wouldn’t stop crying. She clung to Stan who continued to whisper to her. Ford couldn’t stop himself from taking a step towards her. He wanted to help. He wanted to tell her it’d be ok. Emily screamed and forced herself back into the wall. Her eyes burned as she screamed at Ford. Stan shot a nasty look over his shoulder.

“You’ve done enough damage, Stanford.” Stan snapped before turning to Emily. “You’re ok. He’s not going to hurt you.”

Every single time Ford tried to step forward Emily would scream until Ford gave up and sank to the ground. He dropped his head into his hands and listened to Emily cry until his head ached. The crying got louder and he realized Stan was now crying. Ford’s head snapped up and saw his twin sobbing as well. They were clinging to one another looking at Ford with these wild, panicked eyes.

“St-” Ford started but they screamed in unison. Their tears turned red with blood. Their pale faces grew stained pink so quickly. Ford was crying too as he watched them both cry. Emily started to convulse and fall onto the ground. She gurgled and shook. Her mouth started to foam but whenever Ford moved Stan would scream at him. He spat blood at him.

“You did this!” Stan wailed as blood started to leak out of his mouth. Emily’s body seized up before her head smashed onto the ground. The foam from Emily’s mouth started to tint pink as blood started to pool around her, leaking out of every pore it seemed. “You killed her!”

“No. No. No.” Ford sobbed as he buried his face into his palms.

“Why would you do this Stanford?” Stan wailed. “I thought you loved us. I thought you loved  _ me _ .”

“I do! I do! I love you.” Ford cried over and over until the gurgles from Emily stopped. His eyes flew open and he stared at the prone form of Emily. Her eyes were open and those beautiful grey eyes were staring right into his soul. “I’m sorry!” Ford screamed. “I’m sorry!”

Stan looked at him with sad eyes before he too fell to the ground and started to convulse as well. Blood leaked from each and every pore in his face as he gurgled and gagged on blood welling up in his throat. Stan slammed his head back into the ground several times as the convulsions got worse. Ford screamed but he felt glued to the spot. Emily was still staring at him. There was a loud snap and Stan’s body went still. Ford screamed so loud his throat went raw in a matter of seconds.

Ford continued to scream as the bodies of his loved ones melted into blackness. The tendrils were back, holding him spread eagle as he screamed and thrashed. “Give them back! Give them back!” He screamed over and over. The voices laughed at him until he remembered this wasn’t real. They were safe in Central far, far away. They’d be ok.

_ You wish they’d be ok, Stanford _ . They teased.  _ They’ll be here before you know it _ .

Ford thrashed back and forth in his bonds until they ripped at his tendons and bones. His body slumped as pain spasmed everywhere. Vaguely he was aware he’d started to convulse and if he wasn’t in complete darkness he was sure his vision would be blurry. His head dropped and he felt his throat close up.

The darkness got swelteringly hot again and he realized they were bringing him back from the edge of the death. Why couldn’t they just let him die? He didn’t want this.

_ But if we kill you, _ the voices teased as sweat beaded on Ford’s skin,  _ we’ll have no choice but to look for a new toy… that little human thing would do nicely _ .

That stirred Ford awake. He wouldn’t let them get his hands on Emily. Or Stan. There was no way. He’d die a million times if it meant they’d be safe. The voices laughed, pleased with his strength to keep his lovers safe.

\--

The air was sweet with the smell of lavender and salty ocean. The air was nice and cool with just a gentle breeze moving through the room. The sheets were silky and just warm enough to be comfortable. Everything was calm and peaceful. In the distance there were birds singing and chirping to one another.

Ford let out a deep sigh as he relaxed back into the bed. A chicken clucked in the distance. Someone giggled beside him and Ford peeked his eyes open to see Emily curled up beside him with a soft smile on her face.

“Hi beautiful.” Ford whispered.

She giggled and buried her face into his bare chest. Her fingers trailed along the scars across his chest. When did they get naked? A door opened in Ford looked up to see a naked Stan walk into the room. Ford’s eyes drank in the form of his brother, savoring every moment, before his eyes looked around the room. There were posters and paintings covering every space.

“You like my room?” Emily asked.

“Did you paint that?” He asked pointing to a painting of a boat in the middle of the ocean.

“Sure did.” Emily nodded as Stan sat on Ford’s other side. He leaned over him and drew Emily in for a kiss. Ford watched the two kiss before he tugged on Stan’s hair so he could join in. The three kissed back and forth for what felt like forever. Emily tangled her hands into Ford’s hair as she straddled him. Stan was nibbling on Ford’s neck in all the right places. Ford’s eyes fluttered shut as he savored the feeling of the silky sheets on his body and the hands of his lovers on his body. Emily hands slid down Ford’s chest before they paused around his abdomen. Her eyes flashed a darker color and her nails sank into Ford’s stomach. He shot up but Stan grabbed his shoulders and pinned him back to the bed. Stan’s own nails started to dig into his back.

Ford screamed as Emily drew a single hand up to her mouth and lapped at the blood coating her hands. Stan groaned and leaned over Ford to suck some blood from her fingertips. “C’mon Sixer,” He purred as he bent to press his bloody lips to Ford’s, “live a little, huh?”

Ford whimpered as Emily drew her other hand out from Ford’s stomach and started to draw on Ford’s chest. She and Stan chuckled together as they painted Ford’s chest. He kept his hands on the bed trying to ignore the pain because this was arousing? Hot? Emily was naked soaked in his red blood, grinding her hips down into his. Stan was beside him, incredibly hard and licking the blood off Ford’s chest. He whimpered again but Emily silenced him by covering his mouth with her own. Ford tasted his own sweet blood and moaned.

“You ready for more?” Emily purred.

Ford nodded and Emily drove her hands back into his stomach. He threw his head back and screamed. He wasn’t ready. Not at all. His insides burned and he felt blood swelling into his throat. It hurt. It hurt. Oh God! Ford started to cry as Emily played around with his organs. Stan cooed to Ford telling him it was ok and he was doing wonderfully. Every so often Emily would draw a hand out and offer it to Stan to lick clean. Ford’s vision got blurry as Stan planted wet kisses to his face. His breathing grew ragged but Emily didn’t stop playing with his blood.

_ Happy? _ The voices were back. Emily and Stan stopped and stared right into Ford’s eyes. Ford whimpered. They gave him gentle smiles before they removed themselves from the bed. Ford’s vision had black spots that only grew larger until it was the only thing that remained. He squeezed his eyes shut and felt a few hot tears streak down his face.

_ We like this one! Strong! Fun to play with! So many fun memories! _

He wasn’t free. He’d never be free.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I would like to thank everyone who has read/commented/left kudos for this story. I almost lost the drive to finish it but I will finish it. I promise. It might take a little while but I will complete it.


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